My Obsession
by peeta-mellark-is-mine
Summary: Currently on hold.I'm sorry but Senior year is currently agreeing with me. This is my own interpretation of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. It's written in Peeta's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

This is my own interpretation of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is written in Peeta's point of view

I don't own most of the characters.

The text that is in between 2 *** means that it is an excerpt from the book itself. I shamefully admit that I wasn't happy with my own revision of that part.

Enjoy reading!

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><p>I was greeted by a bright ray of sunshine as soon as I opened my eyes. It's morning and a beautiful one for that matter. It's such a shame that it'll end with the whole district sad and defeated. If people from the past are able to read my thoughts right now they wouldn't be able to understand what I'm thinking about. They'd probably be like "You just said it's a beautiful day how the hell would it make anyone feel sad?" Well to clear all the confusion that may be happening inside their ancient minds I'll make it clear….<em>It's Reaping day<em>….

It is that day of the year wherein a boy and a girl from ages 12 to 18 are forced, or in some cases chosen, to compete in the nationwide competition called the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games, to put is simply, is a cross between the ancient Olympics and gladiator fights, from our ancestors, on a modern intake. It is the 74th year of Hunger Games which also means it's been 74 years since the war in Panem and it's been 74 years since the Capitol decided the Hunger Games is the best way to show the people of Panem who's in charge.

So as I was saying, this day feels ironic. I just hope nothing happens to my family or worse to _her_. Rolce and I are still eligible for the Hunger Games but luckily for Rolce it's his last year for being eligible.

I changed into my everyday wear. I'll change into my normal reaping outfit later. Sniffing the air I scented some cinnamon buns being baked. Dad must be nervous. He only bakes sweet bread when he's nervous. On normal days my dad and my brothers bake savoury bread while they leave me with the sweet and easy bread and the occasional cakes but if you smell sweet bread being baked and you know it's not me then it's my dad being nervous or stressed. Although this rarely happens, I know it must be a really big problem after all why would someone as relaxed and laid back as my dad be stressed or nervous about something as stupid as a shallow and small problem? Normally I'd leave my dad alone so that he won't be pressured but my stomach got the best of me.

I peeked at my brothers' room and saw that they're both still asleep. Typical but I don't blame them for wanting to catch some extra Zzzs since, as a family of bakers, we all have to be awake at 4 am sharp. We rarely get to sleep in, even on weekends.

Base and Rolce look exactly alike. They both have chocolate brown eyes and their hair is the same light brown(almost blonde) shade. Basically they both look like younger male versions of mother. Rolce is the middle child and thinks everything should be about him. Base is the eldest and loves baking almost as much as dad but he would put his social life first before baking. I, on the other hand, look like my dad when he was my age. We both have light dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. I love baking almost as much as my dad. It makes me feel like an artist. I'm getting off track again...

I went downstairs to the store, where my dad is currently pouring himself a glass of water.

"Morning Dad!" I greeted him

He just looked at me and nodded his head at my direction. He's not much of a talker. It's probably the only trait that I didn't get from my dad. My mom is the one who talks a lot. Despite our only difference this is how we usually spend our mornings. Silent and relaxed…

A few minutes later I heard the timer tick. The cinnamon buns must be done.

5..

My dad gets up from his chair and walks towards the oven

4..

He opens the oven and the scent of cinnamon and caramelised sugar takes over

3..

A few thumps and groans

2..

Thunderous stomping and…

1..

As if on cue my brothers enter the store like charging bulls towards the basket filled with cinnamon buns. I was barely able to get a bun before mother walked into the kitchen screaming…

"BASE!ROLCE!PEETA! IS THAT A WAY TO HANDLE FOOD? YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THAT TRASH FROM SEAM! SIT DOWN AND EAT YOUR BREAKFAST LIKE CIVILIZED HUMAN BEINGS! Unless you want me to make you eat the bread that weren't sold yesterday."

Like wolverines smelling fear, my brothers and I sat down quietly, ate our buns quietly and waited for our mom to go back upstairs and continue her de-stressing routine that she normally does on reaping day. I'm not really sure what her de-stressing routine is. In fact no one does! Even my dad. Speaking of dad….how is he? I sneaked a look to see how he's doing and he looks totally fine. How odd. But then again looks can be deceiving…

I watched Rolce and Base as they tear apart the rolls and chew as if the food will disappear in 10 seconds…

I wonder how her morning is going so far. I bet she's worried it's her sister's first reaping day after all. I wonder what she's doing right now. I wonder who she's…no I won't think of that. It's not really a nice way to spend my morning. I looked out the window and saw a black wing with white spots on it. A mockingjay! How coincidental! Just when I was thinking about her too. Man I can't believe it's been 11 years since I first saw her. I'm whipped! I can't believe it's been that long. What the hell is that sound?

I blinked out of my thoughts and saw Rolce snapping his fingers in front of my face. I glared at him.

"What?"

"Dude I've been calling you for the past 3 minutes! I have a question!"

"Well?"

"Do you know that kid who goes stares at the shop window to look at your cakes?"

"Which one? There are a lot of people who stare at our shop window. That's the purpose of the window remember?"

Base tries to keep his face void of emotion but fails miserably. I tried too but the look on Rolce's face when he tried to think of comeback is just too much! We both start laughing and Rolce gets up and stomps out of the shop. Probably to meet his friends and his girlfriend. Finally our laughing stops and Base says he's going to meet ,his girlfriend, Katie at the apothecary shop. That's the only time I noticed my dad is baking again. He must be really nervous. Mother will have his head if she sees him baking again. She thinks it's a waste to bake something no one will buy. To her baking is only for making money. It is not for leisure. It is to earn a living. On normal days she'd probably be screaming "THAT'S A WASTE! A WASTE! WHY ARE YOU WASTING THE MATERIALS WE USE IN THE STORE TO MAKE SOMETHING FOR US! WE ALREADY HAVE BREAD! WE DON'T NEED MORE! IF YOU WASTE THE INGREDIENTS YOU WASTE OUR MONEY! STOP BAKING! BAKE THAT TOMORROW WHEN WE'LL GET PROFIT FROM IT!" today, of course, is a special occasion. My mom is locked up in their room doing god knows what and my dad is here baking for the second time. From the looks of it it's another sweet bread. It's more of a subtle sweetness not like the sweetness of the cinnamon buns. It's a filling loaf of bread crammed with raisins, walnuts, pecans and pistachios. Bread filled with raisins, walnuts, pecans and pistachios! This day couldn't get weirder. I told my dad I'll be walking and that I won't be back until an hour before the reaping. He nods at me and continues to knead the dough. I walked out of the store and checked my watch. It's 10 am. I should be back at around 11:15 am.

I walked around aimlessly until I saw a group of my friends talking near the farmer's market. I walked over to them.

"Hey Peeta! Where have you been man? We've been chillin' here for 1 hour! We were waiting for you!"

"Sorry guys. I slept in. it's been awhile since I was able to. I needed the extra sleep"

"We hear you! We hear you! Don't get so crabby! But then who would blame you it's reaping day"

I sighed and looked around. Most of the guys are here. A handful of girls as well.

"Hey Peeta!"

I looked behind me and I saw Blair. Things have been pretty awkward between us. Not because we had a thing and broke up but because she heard her dad asking mother to hook us up. And what's worse is she's not exactly begging her dad to stop it. I've known for awhile that she kinda likes me but I've never really liked her. I tolerated her but I've never thought of her any other way than someone who's friends with my friends. She's just not the type of person I'd hang out with much less if she'd be my girlfriend. When some of the guys heard it they told me to go for it. She's cute, smart and can actually talked in normal sentences unlike some girls who talk as if they're from the past ("Uhm can you like um I don't know um like talk about like um something else?"). I told them they could have her coz I'm not interested in her. You're probably thinking he's such a jerk! She's perfectly fine why wouldn't he be interested? You see it's coz like any normal human being in the planet she has a bad side. Everyone has but hers is not something I can handle. She treats other people as if don't have emotions. In some weird way she reminded me of mother. They both share a passion of badmouthing the people from Seam.

"Hi Blair"

"Guess what! On the way here I saw this kid bouncing around in front of your shop window and she was really cute! But then I saw what she was wearing. It turns out she's from SEAM! Her clothes have 20 million patches on it and the soles of her shoes were falling off! You wouldn't believe my embarrassment when I actually thought she was cute! EW! As if any kid from Seam would ever be cute!"

Blair rambles on to our friends about the seam kid she saw. I tuned her out and thought about something else. It's weird how a lot of people seem to be looking at the cakes I made today but then again that's why we have customers. A few minutes have passed and I tried to join the conversation of my friends but it seems they're still talking about Blair's "embarrassment". I looked at my watch and saw that's already 11:00. I should probably go home. I still have to help dad with the store. I waved to my friends telling them I'd see them after the reaping then I started my walk towards home.

On my way home my eye caught something black. I looked around me to see what it was. _It's her!_ She's carrying a huge sack but it seems empty. I have a feeling it used to be bulging a few minutes ago. She must have been in the Hob. Who's that beside her? After a few moments of jealousy I noticed I started walking to her. I stop myself before someone sees my stalker-like qualities, turned around and walked home. I went to my room and changed to my reaping outfit. Now you're thinking "if the Hunger Games is that bad why is he changing into special clothes for it?" it's because you're required to wear something special. It's not special because we're celebrating another season of killing innocent children but because if we're chosen (or forced) to become a tribute in the Hunger Games you're representing your District. You don't want to look ugly or scruffy when you're supposed to be representing your district now do you? The people in the Capitol are weird (and shallow) that way.

I went downstairs and I saw my dad skinning a squirrel. She must have been here. While I was out! It's such a stupid move to go out! I missed an opportunity,_ AGAIN_, to talk to her. Now you're probably thinking "Again? What do you mean AGAIN? You've known her for 11 years there must have been a time wherein you actually talked to her!" that's where you're wrong. I was never able to talk to her. Everytime I try to approach her I either got too nervous or lost courage along the way. I sighed and approached my dad.

"Hey Dad! Where'd you get the squirrel? And without mother noticing too! Not that you haven't done this before"

"I got it from that kid Gale. I gave him a loaf of bread to share with that girl he's always with"

A few sharp japs of jealousy struck me again. Dad must have noticed. He's unconsciously giving me those sympathetic looks again. Dad is probably the only one in the whole world who knows that I like her. Mother would never approve. And afterall he's the one who pointed her to me.

_It's the first day of school! I'm finally going to school! I got up my bed and ran downstairs. Dad! Dad it's time for school we need to go! My dad chuckled, along with a few of our customers, and said "Peeta before we go you need to take a bath and change into your newly made school clothes. Change quickly before mother sees you" I raced back upstairs took a really really really quick bath and changed into my school clothes. I'd rather wear my play clothes but mother "talked"(cough*screamed*cough) me out of it. I'm not exactly eager to experience that again so like a good boy I followed mother's rules. I grabbed my bag and pulled my dad away from the counter. DAD LET'S GO! I'M CLEAN AND WEARING MY NEW CLOTHES! LET'S GO! My dad excused himself from our customers and told mother to cover for him while he brings me to school. I was so excited I didn't see that mother was there. I skipped on the way to school while my dad held by hand. He's probably holding it to restrain me from running all the way to school. We finally reached school and I noticed my dad looking around. I looked around too maybe I'll see my friends and hopefully my new friends. Suddenly my dad squeezed my hand. I looked up to him and saw him staring at someone at our right. He bent down and pointed a finger at girl with plaited pigtails wearing a red dress. "See that girl" he told me "I wanted to marry her mom but she married a coalminer instead" I got confused. Why would someone pick a coalminer over my dad? So I asked him "why did she picked him over you?" and he answered "because when he sings all the birds around him stops singing"_

I walked downstairs and saw my whole family sitting down at the dining table. We ate the quiche, that wasn't sold yesterday, in silence. _It's time. _We went outside, dad locked the shop and we walked towards the square. On any normal regular day I would have been pleased. The square is one of the few places that's pleasant in District 12. As soon as we reached the square, Rolce and I went to our respective age group for boys. The girls have a similar arrangement at their side too. I checked the girls' side and didn't see her. I looked around the square for her. My friends are trying to get me to join their conversation but they stopped when they thought I was nervous and left me alone. _There she is! _She looks cute. Not so much as cute but more of beautiful! No not so much as beautiful but more of inhumanely gorgeous! I snapped myself back into reality. She looks nervous. I wonder why. Wait I know why. Her sister! Now she looks like she's in a telepathic conversation with someone. I looked at the direction where she's looking at. Of course. _HIM. _I looked back at her at the same time feeling those throbs of jealousy I've been trying to block the whole day. She has a grimace on. She must have been thinking about dark thoughts. I wonder….

"Dude! What the hell are you looking at?"

"What?" I still somewhat in a daze…

"Dude why are you staring at Blair?"

"What?" what is he talking about? I looked at her area again and sure enough I saw Blair coincidentally beside her. It seems Blair has been staring at my direction as well..

"I didn't know you and Blair have a thing"

"We don't"…not to be a jerk or anything but it's true…

"Then why are the 2 of you staring at each other?"

Just when I was about to answer the mayor stood up, walked towards the podium and then he began to read the story we hear at least once a year.

***He tells us about the History of Panem, the country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America. He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the upraising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated and the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave to us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days may never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.

The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the upraising, each of the twelve districts must be provide one boy and one girl, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold from anything form a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins.***

Making kids kill each other is the Capitol's way of saying "Hey guys we're in power! Stand in our way and you'll end up like District 13!" And to make matter worse they treat the Hunger Games as if it was the The Olympics for Ancient times. The winner of the Hunger Games gets a large amount of prizes. This includes showering the winner's district with packages, mainly food, for a whole year.

*** "It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks" intones the mayor.

Then he reads the list of past District 12 winners. In seventy-four years, we have exactly two. Only one is still alive.*** Haymitch Abernathy staggers onto the stage yelling profanities and nonsense and plunks down on the third chair. He's a middle aged man who's drunk all the time. He's given a round of applause by the crowd. I don't really know what he's thinking about the applause because a few seconds later he tries to bear hug Effie Trinket, something she looks like she could live without.

Since the whole reaping is being televised, the mayor looks somewhat nervous. I can probably guess it's because District 12 is being laughed at by now. He tries to distract everyone by introducing Effie Trinket. She skipped towards the stages and says her signature "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" She blabs about how honoured she is to be here and so on and so forth even though everyone knows she really wants to get a better district. Two glass balls appears on stage and Effie stands in between. _It's time for the drawing. _Effie screams "Ladies' first!" and starts pawing through the opening of the ball. The crowd suddenly becomes quiet almost as if someone pressed the mute button of the remote. Finally she picks a piece of paper and then I, unconsciously, started chanting and practically praying _Not her! Not her! Not her! Anyone but her! Please not her! Please! Please! _Effie reaches the podium and reads out the name. It's not her but's good as.

" Primrose Everdeen"


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as I heard "Primrose Everdeen", I locked my eyes on her, Katniss Everdeen. The girl I'm been in love with since I was 5 years old. I knew even before I saw her that she'll look horrified. Almost as if she became paralyzed with fear. Just when her sister starts walking towards the stage, I knew what she was about to do before she even said it out loud. Katniss runs towards the stage and shouts "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

Silence came from the stage. I can see the reason. District 12 hasn't had a volunteer for a long time now. Saying "I volunteer" in District 12 is like saying "I want to commit suicide"

***"Lovely!" says Effie Trinket "but I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does come forth then we um…"she tails off, unsure herself

"What's the matter?" says the mayor*** He looks at Katniss in a somewhat pitiful expression.

***"what does it matter?" he repeats gruffly "Let her come forward"***

Katniss advances towards the stage only to be held back by her sister. Prim starts begging her sister to stop and Katniss tries to pry her sister's arms from her waist. "Prim let go" I heard her say "Let go!" Suddenly Gale appears out of nowhere and pulls Prim away from Katniss and carries her off to Katniss' mom.

"Well bravo" Effie says. Somehow the urge to punch her suddenly felt overpowering. I overcame it because I need to pay attention to what's happening to Katniss. "That's the spirit of the games" Effie continuous "what's your name?" she asks Katniss. I guess she's pleased that something interesting is happening in District 12 and not the usual sorrowful bunch.

"I bet my buttons that's your sister. Don't want her to steal the glory don't we? Come on everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!"

Unsurprisingly no one is District 12 applauses. Who would? No one would applause to something as inhumane as being a tribute. And then everyone in District 12 lifts their left hand, presses their 3 middle fingers on their lips and holds it out to Katniss. I stare at Katniss and she looks as if she's trying not to let her feelings show. To another person in District 12 it probably looks like she's stoic and strong but to me, I know she's trying her best not to let her feelings show. Suddenly Haymitch drunkenly walks to Katniss and goes "Look at her! Look at this one" he slings an arm around her shoulders and says "I like her!...Lots of…." Thinking of a word and shouts brightly "Spunk! More that you!" he lets go of Katniss, staggers forward and points to the camera "More than you!" he opens his mouth as if to continue his monologue but instead he does a head-dive off the stage.

I barely saw Haymitch though. I was watching her the whole time. You're probably thinking "he's such a stalker!" but I don't mind. Once the cameras and District 12(I'm excluded in this part) pays their attention to Haymitch, Katniss' stoic face falls and it looks as if she just let out a soft sob. By the time Haymitch is placed on a stretcher, Katniss' face is back to its stoic and strong form.

"What an exciting day!" Effie exclaims "but more excitement to come. It's time to choose our boy tribute!" Suddenly as if someone threw me to the bottom of a lake during winter, I get a chill. Even though I know it's most likely a boy from Seam I still get nervous. Most likely isn't as promising as Always. Effies slides her hand through the opening and scrambling the papers a bit before pulling out a slip of paper. She goes back to the podium and shouts "Peeta Mellark"

Suddenly my insides became frozen. No Effie, the odds are not in my favour. I tried to keep my face expressionless but by the look at Katniss' face tells me I'm failing at it. How can I be expressionless if I'm in a state of shock to the point that I want to pinch myself just to see if this isn't a nightmare. I barely hear Effie now. It seems that she's trying to get volunteers. I know that's a lost cost. I don't mean to be unfaithful or anything but my family isn't exactly as bonded as most families. We joke around and stuff but so do my friends. I know Rolce would never volunteer because even though he wins all the wrestling matches in school he's actually scared to death about dying. Base might volunteer but only if he's sure he's going to win. What Katniss did is like a miracle. It something only a few good people has done. I didn't get my hope up since I know no one will volunteer for me. If they wanted to volunteer they would have as soon as they announced my name.

The mayor says the Treaty of Treason and motions me and Katniss to shake hands. I don't know what has gotten into me but I squeezed her hand. I'm not really sure if it's because I wanted to reassure her that everything is going to be fine or if I wanted some encouragement. Maybe it's a little of both.

The anthem is being played and as soon as it ended they escorted us inside the Justice Building.


	3. Chapter 3

The Peacekeepers brings me to a grand room and left us there alone. Suddenly the door opens and my family comes in. At first it was kind of awkward but then Rolce suddenly starts sobbing. We all look at him and then he said

"Sorry Peeta! I couldn't do it! I couldn't volunteer for you! I tried to say it but I can't get it out of my mouth"

It's hard to see him so distressed about it. It wasn't his fault he can't say it. It's not like we ever connected as a family. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to say it if Rolce was the one who was picked. Like I said before what Katniss did is like a miracle. Most family bonds are cut when it comes to reaping day and my family isn't an exception to that.

"It's cool man. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to say that too if it was you who got picked."

Rolce continues to look distressed that I looked at Base and made him take Rolce outside to calm down. Base does just that and they leave me with my parents. A few seconds after the door close my mom goes to me and says "We'll have a winner this year" I was shocked for a moment until she continues "She's a fighter that one, she is" She kisses my forehead and walks out of the room. I looked at my dad and saw that his eyes are teary. He got up gave me a big long hug, looks at me for a long time, kisses my forehead and walks toward the door. Just before he reaches the door I shout out "I love you Dad!" He turns around with a few tear drops going down his cheeks and says "I love you Peeta. You've always been my favourite son" and just like that he's gone. I felt a few tears fall down my face and then I scrubbed them off as soon as someone else opened the door. It's Prim.

"Hello Peeta. I'm Prim. Katniss' sister" she says to me softly.

"Hey Prim!" it's the only thing I can think of since I'm a bit shocked.

"I know were not really close but I want to thank you for a lot of things"

I'm a bit confused "like what?" I asked.

"First for the bread you gave us before. Second for always decorating the cakes. Third for loving my sister"

"What?" how did she know? I've kept it quiet for 11 years. Only my dad knows I like her.

"I've known for a long time now. I'm quite observant. I always watch my surroundings and everytime I see you. You're looking at Katniss. The signs are practically there. You gave us bread. You watch her when you think no one is looking. You smile when you see a mockingjay. Sometimes you unconsciously design the cakes with Katniss as an inspiration. Sometimes I see you frown when you see Gale talking to her. Sometimes I see you hold your chest as if someone poked you there when she's walking with Gale. Other people wouldn't notice this because it isn't obvious."

"I have underestimated you"

"Protect my sister ok? It might be nice if you confessed to her too while you're at it. She needs love in her life she has too many hardships at a young age"

"She has Gale for that." Trying not to color it too much with jealousy "And As for hardships at a young age part you're also in the same situation" I continued

"No matter how nice and trustworthy Gale is I'm not sure if he can love her as much as you. He's too much like Katniss. It'll be like adding fuel to the fire in her hardships but you on the other hand will water down the fire"

"I've already made up my mind that I'll protect her no matter what. Even before you asked. As for the confessing bit I'll think about it. It's not something that could be done easily because if it was I would have done it before."

"Don't tell Gale but I'm rooting for you Peeta. Take care of my sister!" and just like that she leaves me alone. It wasn't long before my friends barged into my room and started chatting. In a way I'm kind of happy they did. It's almost as if after we talk, we'll go out and go to the coffee shop to hang out. I unconsciously tune them out until I heard Blaine say…

"…that Katniss girl, I couldn't believe Josh liked her! He was like dude I have this girl in my physics class and she's totally hot but the guys said she's from Seam and she's with that Hawthorne dude in the senior batch"

"I remember that some of the guys fought over her a couple months ago. Some guy said that he'll just wave a bag of coins and she'll be all over him and another guy said not if he waves a bag of food first. It's really just some stupid fight but still a fight is a fight and the girl is definitely hot" Kurt said.

"I heard that Darius the Peacekeeper really likes her. He said he'd give anything for a make-out session or more with her." I'm not really sure who said this because I was having a hard time telling myself to calm down and stop eying the vase beside me as if it's a punching bag. The guys of course continue on oblivious.

"The other day I was checking her out. Her boobs are kinda small but not too small like maybe a B-cup and she definitely has a rocking body. Her eyes are intimidatingly gray but it'll make you wonder what I'll look like if it's filled with lu…"

Thankfully a peacekeeper told the guys that their time is up and the guys said good-bye and went away. It was too much. I didn't know that a lot of guys like her. I thought I was the only one who noticed her besides the some other Seam guys. It seems I have another visitor. It's kind of weird seeing him here in front of me. It's Gale. The guy I completely envy the most. He said only one thing to me

"if you kill her I'll make sure you'd be dead if you come back." Then he storms out the door.

A few moments later the peacekeepers tells me to stand up and makes me ride the elevator going down. We meet Katniss and her group of peacekeepers at the lobby and they escort the both of us to the train station.

On the way to the train station I saw Katniss look at me weirdly. I felt my eyes and they seem a bit puffy. Maybe this is the cause. The tribute's train is more grand that the room in the Justice Building. Effie tells me and Katniss to do whatever we want as long as we're at dinner in an hour. I walked inside my room and I saw a rather large bed. The bed is sandwiched in between two side-tables and about 3 feet away is large closet. I opened the closet and I saw it was filled with clothes of different styles and textures. I got a collared shirt and some jeans and placed it on the bed. I went to the bathroom and took a hot bath. I changed clothes and looked for a piece of paper and a pencil. Once I found it, I sat down on my bed and started drawing. I'm not really sure of what I'm drawing. After a few strokes that's the only time I realize what I'm drawing. It's Katniss. When she was trying to hide her emotions while Haymitch got everyone's attention. By the looks of it, it seems it's only a portrait of Katniss. Just from waist and up. Suddenly someone is knocking at my door. Haymitch says dinner is ready. I got up, hid my drawing inside the drawer of the side table and went outside. Haymitch said that tell Effie he's going to take a nap so he won't be joining us for dinner. I told him I would and I went to the dining area.

Effie is waiting for us. She looks somewhat impatient but she also seems pleased someone came.

"Peeta! You're right on time. Have you seen Katniss? I told her that dinner is in an hour so.." Effie blabs.

"Maybe she lost track of time but I'm sure she's on the way here." I tried to reassure her.

"I just hate tardiness. I'll go fetch her. Please wait here Peeta"

"yeah sure"

Effie goes out of the dining area leaving me all alone in the room. My mind started to drift off to the topic of the guys a while ago. Katniss is very popular with the guys but they never went for her because she's from Seam. Guys are shallow that way. I never knew guys from the merchant's class knew anything about her. I envy those who had the pleasure of being her classmate. It gives them opportunities to talk to her. Why didn't I get to be her classmate? I've liked her for 11 years and not once have I had a chance to be her classmate. I shouldn't dwell on the past it'll probably make me feel worse. I wanted to smash the vase beside me a few hours ago. Since I couldn't show my emotions to the guys I might as well release some frustration. The one that tempted me the most is when the guys were talking about how Katniss will fall for them as soon as they wave bags of coins in front of her. Katniss is not that kind of person. She's the type that'll work hard and earn money in the most moral way possible. Although I'm not really sure poaching animals outside the fence is moral but why she does it is moral though. She's an amazing hunter. Even my dad says so. Before I could think about my dad, the door of the dining area opens. Effie and Katniss walks in and they see me all alone.

*** "Where's Haymitch?" asks Effie brightly***

"Last time I saw him he said he was going to take a nap." I answered

*** "what an exhausting day!" says Effie Trinket*** I seems to me she's really relieved that Haymitch isn't here. Who isn't? but it's not really Haymitch's fault he's that way.

Dinner is served in multiple courses. First it is a thick carrot soup then a green salad. Next is lamb chops and mashed potatoes then cheese and fruit. Lastly a chocolate cake. After every course, Effie tells us to leave room because there's another course. It's really hard to do that especially when you've lived most your life eating stale bread that wasn't sold the day before. I looked at Katniss and I see that she's like me. She's also trying to hold back but it wasn't working. I'm sure most of her food is fresh and possibly even better than our stale bread since she hunts the food they eat but I don't think anyone in District 12 has even eaten a meal like ours right now.

"At least, you two have decent manners" Effie says as the servants remove our empty main course dishes. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."

The tributes last year came from Seam. They probably never had a meal like this before, and If mother didn't make sure that I always eat in a civilized manner, like them manners would probably be the last thing in my mind right now. I sneaked a look at Katniss and it seems she's kind of affected by what Effie said so she made it a point to eat with her hands for the rest of the meal. I admire her for doing that. Effie on the other hand disapproves. She's the only one to blame for that. I almost laughed when Katniss made it obvious that she wiped her hands on the table cloth. Effie pursed her lips when she saw that. I guess Effie got what she deserved.

By the time the meal is over I started to feel sick. I looked over at Katniss and saw that also looks sick. I guess both of us aren't used to the extravagantly rich food we just eaten. Effie tells us we're going to watch the recaps of the reapings so we stood up and went to the television room. I paid my attention to the screen. I tried to remember all the tributes. Only a few really stood up to me. This guy from District 2 practically ran to the stage just to volunteer to be a tribute. A burly guy from District 11 is practically 7 ft tall. I have a feeling the Careers will ask him to join them. I think he'll decline though. A boy from District 10 has a crippled leg. I sort of sorry for him. It'll be hard to run around in that. The only girl that stuck to me was the girl from District 11. She's so small I think she barely reaches my waist. She stood bravely as if she knew no one will volunteer for her. She barely looks like she's 12 I don't want to think how she'll fare in the Games. Finally they showed District 12. From the time Effie called Prim to the time Katniss and I shake hands.

"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behaviour" Effie says slightly disgusted.

Suddenly it was too much for me. I started laughing and then I said "He's drunk. He's drunk every year." In fact I haven't seen Haymitch sober before. Whether it is in the store or on the streets.

"Everyday" Katniss says with a smirk. I can see why. Effie acts like Haymitch will be able to right himself after telling him a few tips.

"Yes" Effie huffs. I guess Effie doesn't like it the fact that we started laughing. "How odd you two find it amusing. You know is your lifeline to the world in the Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and death."

Suddenly I don't feel like laughing. And then as if to prove Effie's point, Haymitch staggers into the room and says in a drunken voice "I miss supper?" and immediately vomits and falls face down in his own vomit.

"So laugh away" Effie says and leaving Katniss and I to deal with Haymitch.


	4. Chapter 4

We studied Haymitch for a minute then we looked at each other. As if we had a telepathic conversation, we both reached down and grabbed an arm each.

"I tripped?" Haymitch asked "smells bad"

"Let's get you to your room and clean you up a bit" I said

We brought him to his room and pushed him under the shower. Haymitch as usual is oblivious. I looked at Katniss and then I saw that she's not at all comfortable with taking care of Haymitch but then again so am I but I told her

"It's ok. I'll take it from here"

Her face shows that she's really grateful then she looks at me weirdly.

"Alright" she said "I can send one of the Capitol people to help you"

"No I don't want them" I told her. Somehow I don't want the people from the Capitol to take care of Haymitch. I had a gut feeling it's their fault Haymitch turned out this way.

She nods and leaves the room. I examined Haymitch again and thought of a strategy on how to clean him. I started removing his shirt. I threw the shirt in the trashcan and started scrubbing his chest. Once I'm done with the top, I removed Haymitch's pants. I didn't touch anything there. I just let the pressure of the water to remove all the vomit. It wasn't as bad as his top half anyway. Once all traces of vomit are off Haymitch's body, I wrapped his body in a towel and carried him to his bed. I placed a glass of water on his bedside table and walked out. It's a good thing my room is across Haymitch's room because I feel like a mess. I looked down and I see my whole body is wet but no signs of vomit. I entered my room removed my clothes and took a bath again. In the shower I unconsciously though about what Prim said. What bread was she talking about? I bake bread but I haven't seen Katniss or Prim or even their mom buy bread from our shop so what bread is Prim talking about?

Giving Haymitch a bath made me exhausted. As soon as I wore my boxers and fell asleep as soon as I lay down on the bed. Within a few seconds I was dreaming.

_It's raining really hard. Dad was teaching me how to make bread. It's a hearty one. Filled with raisins, walnuts, pecans and pistachios. Dad's bread is already in the oven, now he's helping me knead mine. Suddenly mother came in telling my dad a customer is asking for him. It must have been a real problem because dad was gone for a long time. My dough is ready and his bread is almost done baking. Judging by the timer it still has 5 minutes. I have to wait for 5 minutes before I can put mine in the oven. I heard someone opening our trashcan outside. I peeked out the window and I see her. She's so thin and weak. I have a feeling if the wind got any stronger it's going to blow her away. I backed away from the window and though about how I'm going to give her some bread. Suddenly I heard someone open the window. I looked up and saw mother screaming at her. "GO AWAY! I'M TIRED OF SEEING ALL YOU SEAM BRATS PWAING THROUGH OUR TRASHCANS! I'LL CALL THE PEACEKEPPERS AND MAKE THEM TAKE YOU WITH THEM. GO AWAT NOW!" I was hard to hear this. As if to make mother stop screaming, I hear the timer tick. Dad's bread is done! I picked up my gloves, opened the oven and accidentally on purpose pushed both of Dad's bread towards the fire. A big fire appeared and then mother started screaming again "PEETA AUSTIN MELLARK! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THOSE SEAM BRATS. PUT THAT PUNY LITTLE BRAIN OF YOURS TO USE! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING OF BURNING OUR BREAD?" she smacked me on my cheek and said "NO ONE DECENT WILL BUY BURNED BREAD! GIVE THOSE TO THE PIGS! IT'S SUCH A WASTE! YOU'RE SUCH A WASTE!" I didn't want to hear anymore. I picked up the loaves of bread and examined it on my way out of the house. Except for the burned areas it's not too bad. I saw her with her back on the tree trunk. She's frail, worn out and looked out of hope. I saw her tense a little. She probably thought it's mother with her famous walking stick but relaxed when she saw it was me. I stared scraping some of the extremely burnt areas. As soon as I heard mother go to the front of the shop, I threw one of the loaves to her. She looked surprised and then I threw the second one to her. And without a second glance, I walked back inside. Dad was there looking at me. He probably know what happened to his bread. I walked toward him with my head bowed down "I'm sorry dad" I told him. He just patted my head and said It was alright. _

At the sudden knocks on my door woke me up. Effie bursts in my room saying "Get up up up! It's a big big big day!" Once she sees me awake she goes out probably to annoy someone else. I wonder what makes so energized this early in the morning. Even though I wake up at 4 am in the morning everyday It always takes a while before I'm fully awake. I got up washed my face, brushed my teeth and wore a new pair of pants and another collared shirt. _I guess it's time for breakfast. _I knocked on Haymitch's door and told him breakfast is ready then I went to the dining area. I was the first one there. As soon as I sat down a servant placed a huge platter of food in front of me. Eggs, ham and a huge vat of fried potatoes. A huge bowl of fruit is balanced on top of a pile of ice and a huge basket of freshly baked rolls are on the table. Then the servant returned with 3 different beverages coffee(judging by the bitter aroma), orange juice and a rich cup of brown liquid. It smells heavenly but I'm not sure what it was so I didn't drink it first. Haymitch came inside and sat down across me then a servant appears a brings him a platter of food like mine. Then the servant brought Haymitch 3 drinks too but one drink is different from mine. Instead of orange juice, Haymitch had either wine or cranberry juice. I'm not really sure I want to know.

"Hey kid why are you sniffing that cup of hot chocolate?" he asked me. That's the only time I realized that I'm still holding the cup in front of my nose.

"It smells good but I'm sure what it was so I didn't drink it yet. What's hot chocolate?" I asked him

"It's hot milk mixed with cocoa powder or sometimes melted chocolate and marshmallows"

"oh…thanks"

I trusted Haymitch's word and took a sip of the hot chocolate. IT'S AWESOME! The liquid is very creamy but you can taste the richness of the chocolate. There's probably some cinnamon and nutmeg in it. I drank the hot chocolate until not a single drop is left. I guess my disappointment that It's gone shows because Haymitch chuckledand a servant refilled my cup again with hot chocolate. I picked up a roll and said thank you to the servant for refilling my cup. I didn't notice Effie enter. I guess she entered while I placed my attention to my cup of hot chocolate. Just as she picked up a large cup of coffee, Katniss entered the room. Effie brushed by Katniss and went out of the room. Katniss sat down and the servants gave her the same food they gave me. I saw her eyeing the hot chocolate.

"It's hot chocolate" I told her and then I started breaking a part of the roll then I dipped it in the hot chocolate. I'm watching Katniss at the corner of my eye. She took a tentative sip and her face showed her pleasure and surprise. Like me, she started drinking the whole cup of hot chocolate first before eating anything else. I saw her watching Haymitch as he opens his flask again to thin the red liquid they gave him. Judging by the scent and the bubbling of the liquid it's some type of spirits. Katniss and I finished eating and Haymitch was still drink….um eating. Katniss starts talking.

"So, you're supposed to give us advice" she said to Haymitch.

"Here's some advise. Stay alive" Haymitch says then bursts out laughing like it's the funniest thing he heard. I can feel anger filling me up. It's no wonder he's the last victor in District 12. He hasn't been helping those past tributes. They probably died because their mentor is probably too drunk to remember that he's holding someone's life on the line. I sneaked a look at Katniss and saw her staring at me. I guess my anger is probably showing.

"That's funny" I told Haymitch. Out of impulse I smacked the glass of red liquid out of his hand. "only not to us" I continued. Before I knew what was going to happen Haymitch's fist is at my jaw knocking me to the floor. I heard Katniss rise and slammed something on the table. I stood up and saw Haymitch sitting down looking almost sober.

"Well what's this? Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?" He said.

I ignored him and got some ice underneath the fruit and as I was about to put it to my jaw.

"No" he said to me "Let it bruise show. The audience will think you mixed it up with another tribute before you've even made it to the arena"

"but that's against the rules" I told him as I sat down

"Only if they catch you. The bruise will say you've fought, and you weren't caught, even better" he reasoned. He turns to Katniss and asked

"Can you hit anything with a knife besides a table?"

Instead of answering, Katniss plucked the knife from the table, gripped the blade with two fingers and threw the knife across the room. I'm impressed. It's stuck in between 2 curtains.

"Stand over there. Both of you" he ordered us while nodding at the middle of the room. Once we were where he wanted us to be he started circling us. That's the only time I noticed that all the servants left us. The three of us were left in the room.

"Well you're not entirely hopeless" He told us. "Seems fit. Once the stylists gets a hold of you, you'll be attractive enough"

Katniss and I didn't comment on this. Although the Games is about death and power, the attractive tributes get the most gifts and sponsors.

"Alright I'll make a deal with you" he tells us "Don't interfere with my drinking and I'll stay sober enough to help you but you exactly what I say"

It's not much but it's better than nothing.

"Fine" I agreed

"So help us" Katniss said "When we get to the arena, what's the best strategy to get to the Cornucopia for someone—"Haymitch cut her off.

"One thing at a time" Haymitch says. "in a few minutes we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put into the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is don't resist "

"but.." Katniss started.

"No buts. Don't resist" Haymitch interjects. He takes a bottle of liquor from the table and leaves me alone with Katniss. As the door closes the compartment suddenly becomes dark. We're passing through a tunnel. Katniss and I turn silent. I looked at her and saw her muscles tense as she's afraid of something. As I was about to go to her the train slows down and light fills the compartment again. As if some force is pulling us, Katniss and I rushed to the window to look at something we've only seen on television. It's the Capitol, the ruling city of Panem. There were no camera tricks when it came it the city's extravagance. If anything the camera probably made the city look bad. Hundreds of shiny and bright cars pass by. Oddly dressed people with different skin colors and goofy hairstyles walk around. By the looks of it no one in the Capitol has even experienced starvation. I was almost blinded by all the colors I've seen. Bright neon pink. Pale blue almost white or maybe it is white. Mint green that's probably mixed with silver glitter. And many many more. I'm not even sure which of their features is genetic or surgically enhanced because there's large yellow disk-like eyes and aqua skin with gold hair. As soon as they see us, they started pointing to us. I stayed by and waved and smiled at them while Katniss moved away from the window. I looked at Katniss and she's staring at me oddly. I shrugged at her and said "Who knows. One of them may be rich".


	5. Chapter 5

Ganache and Barney make up my prep team. Ganache is a thin guy with purple skin that sparkles while Barney is a burly guy with silver and black tattoos all over his body. I'm not sure what's his skin color is because I'm not sure if it's skin or a tattoo. Both guys have sleek and shiny hair. Ganache has chin length hair while Barney has waist length hair. They made me stand underneath the shower and started scrubbing like they have to clean every inch of my body within 3 minutes. Once they're done scrubbing they made me sit in the bathtub. I almost went back out. I feels as if they placed acid on my skin but I remembered Haymitch and tried to complain. I closed my eyes as Ganache started massaging my head with some oil making me feel relaxed. Then I heard Barney open something then without telling me he injected something on my chin. I was a good thing I was relaxed or else I would have jumped and well it's not hard to figure out where the needle will go.

"Why did you inject that on my chin?" I asked Barney

"It's required. It's so you won't grow facial hair for a couple of months" he explained

"Oh ok" I said

"It's a good thing you just said ok. Most of the time guys would complain and exploded into tantrums. It's quite frustrating! I hate it when they do that! They blab forever how they'll never get a girlfriend and stuff like that" Ganache said

"I don't really mind. I hate shaving. And facial hair doesn't really suit me."

They laughed at me as if they found a ripe orange inside their mailbox. I looked at them and they explained.

"It's just so refreshing to hear that. And you're right you look better clean" they said as if they practised it.

They gave me robe and told me Portia will be with me in a minute. Portia must be my stylist. I wonder what she's like. I sat down and waited. Soon enough a girl comes inside the room. Her hair is in a ponytail. Aside from the fact that her hair is shiny shiny bright green, she looks quite normal.

"Hello Peeta I'm your stylist, Portia" she said to me

"Hello Portia" I said not really knowing what to say

"You must be hungry. Come with me and we'll eat" she said as she lead the way to the table at the corner the room beside the window overseeing the busy city of the Capitol. We sat down and she pressed a button on the table. Then as if it appeared out of thin air, the table is filled with 2 plates of food and 2 glasses of juice.

"Eat while I talk" she told me

Our lunch is some pasta in a nutty green sauce with chunks of breaded fried chicken on top. It's quite good.

"So Peeta let's cut to the chase. Cinna, my fellow stylist and Katniss' stylist, thought about how we'll make people pay attention to District 12. The coalminer thing is dead. In fact it's been dead since the Games started. No one likes the coalminer getup. So the two of us decided to base out costumes on what coal does or produces."

"Heat?" I asked Portia

"Yes heat but more importantly fire"

"Oooh. So we won't be wearing black powder or anything like that right?" I asked

"Of course not that's just gross! Now our costumes are simple but we'll be illuminating most of it with synthetic fire Cinna and I created."

"So you'll be burning us to death before we go inside the arena to save us the trouble?"

Portia unexpectedly laughs. Her laugh is fascinating to hear. It starts with a high tinkling sound then it gradually becomes a big booming laugh. Now that I think about it, it suits her personality perfectly.

"No Peeta we won't be burning you to death. Like I said It's synthetic fire. You'll only feel ticklish if you touch it. Here's the catch though." She said

"What?" I asked

"You're only along for the ride. As soon as Cinna saw Katniss yesterday the whole fire thing came to him. At first we thought about making you guys just to hold the fire but when he saw Katniss he changed the whole concept. So if you look at my eyes closely you'll see that I actually lack sleep. We had to redo some parts of your costume. To Cinna, Katniss is the girl on fire. Holding fire is not enough"

I chuckled "I don't really mind. I'm sure Katniss will be able to pull it off and you won't regret not sleeping much" I told her

"Do you…"Portia trailed off…

"Do I what?" I asked

"Nothing" she hurriedly answered. "I'm sure you'll pull it off too! With that blonde hair and blue eyes I'm sure sponsors will be lining up for you"

"I'm not sure of that. Most guys have blonde hair and blue eyes but Katniss' eyes are mesmerizing at the same time intimidating. I have a feeling she'll have more sponsors" I told her

Portia is looking at me weirdly. Do I have something on my face? I wonder what it was. Before I could ask what she's looking at, the door opens and Ganache tells Portia that Cinna said we should dress up already.

"Peeta I have a question for you" Portia said

"what is it?" I asked

"How do you feel about make-up?" she asked innocently. I guess judging by my horrified expression I didn't need to answer. Portia laughs and says "Just powder don't worry. We need to make sure that the crowd will be able to recognize you"

I shrugged as if to say it's your call.

Ganache rushes in front of me and starts applying powder while Portia starts rummaging around. Once Ganache was done, he stepped aside and Portia handed me a black suit. It'll probably be skin tight from neck to ankle. I eyed at it doubtfully. Portia chuckles and says

"It'll be fine. I'll help you. And don't worry about the private parts. I made sure you're fully covered and not a single part would be exposed. By the way we'll be lighting the cape and the headpiece with the synthetic fire I told you about. We'll do that just before your chariot goes out. We want to surprise the crowd"

I dress up and Portia, the prep team and I went down to the last floor. Katniss is already there. She wasn't looking at my way but judging from her profile her prep team had done the impossible. They made her more beautiful than before. My breath caught and I stumbled on my way to her. Portia steadied me and mumble something like "I knew it" but I didn't care I was too busy staring at Katniss. Then as if sensing my presence, Katniss looked at me with a relieved expression. _She's breathtaking! _I heard Portia chuckle. I must have a dumb expression. When we finally reach Katniss and I assume Cinna I couldn't be able to take my eyes off her. I barely looked at Cinna when Portia introduced me to him. It is a good thing Katniss is looking at the other side because it'll be embarrassing if she caught me staring at her. I heard Cinna and Portia whispering to each other and then all of the sudden the pushed me to Katniss. I looked at them and they just laughed.

"Go stand on the chariot already" they both told me. That's the only time I realized Katniss is already on the chariot. I climbed the chariot and watched the line of Tributes then suddenly Katniss said something

"What do you think?" she whispered "About the fire?"

I was momentarily dazzled before answering "I'll rip off your cape if you rip off mine" I said through gritted teeth. She almost caught me! I can't let her see yet or else she'd avoid me like a plague.

"Deal" she answered. "I know we promised Haymitch we'd do exactly what they said but I don't think he considered this angle"

"Where is Haymitch anyway? Isn't he supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?" I asked her

"With all the alcohol in him, it's probably not advisable to have around an open flame" she said

And suddenly we both start laughing. I guess our nerves got the best of us. We're probably not thinking rationally with the Games and the fire worrying us.

The opening music suddenly blasts out. They opened the gate revealed the noisy crowded streets of the Capitol. The start of the 20 minute parade begins. District 1 opens the show. Both tributes are bejewelled from head to toe and painted silver. Which isn't ironic because District 1 makes the luxury items for the Capitol. The pleasure of the crowd is deafening. Without me noticing District 6 has entered the parade. Cinna hops on our chariot with a torch a few seconds while District 11 enters the parade.

"Here we go then" he says. Then without warning he sets our capes on fire. Next our headpieces. He lets out a sigh of relief.

"It works" he said. Then he touches Katniss' chin and a sharp pang of jealousy hit my chest.

"Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!" he tells Katniss. He hops off our chariot and shouts something to us. It was in vain though. The music is too loud. He makes hand motions and shouts again. Katniss looks at me and asks

"What's he saying?"

"I think he said for us to hold hands" I answered her. I grabbed her right hand and we both looked at Cinna for confirmation. He nods and gives us a thumbs up. I looked at Katniss face before out chariot enters the parade. With the fire illuminating her features makes her goddess. She looks like a fire goddess. Cinna was in the right angle when he wanted her to be a girl on fire.

The crowd's screams of alarm at our appearance quickly turned into screams of pleasure. They started chanting "District 12". I feel Katniss' hand apply more pressure on my hand as if to get courage. A few seconds after that She's beaming at the crowd. Smiling and waving. Then finally blowing kisses at the crowd. I envy those who're able to accept them. I try my best to focus my attention to the crowd but somehow I keep going back to Katniss. I wave at the crowd and smile the biggest smile I can muster. That part isn't really hard considering I'm finally holding the hand I've been dreaming about holding for a long time. I hear the crowd chanting "Katniss, Katniss". I guess even the people of Capitol cannot help but love, adore and worship her. By the time we reach the City Circle I feel Katniss try to loosen her hand from mine. I gripped it back before it can escape.

"No don't let go of me. Please. I might fall out of this thing" I said to her. She's looking at my eyes and I feel like I'll be engulfed in her gray orbs.

"Okay" she answered.

As I see the President's mansion I started to wishing that the parade was longer. I don't want to let go of her yet. I won't be have another chance to hold that hand ever again. As we park our chariots in front of the President's mansion, the music ends in a flourish. The President welcomes us from the balcony above us and we go 1 last round in front of the people of Panem before entering the Training Center. I noticed that most of the Careers are staring daggers at over awesome costumes and then our prep teams and stylists showering us with praises. Cinna and Portia helps us down our chariot, carefully removes our capes and headpieces then extinguishes the flames with some liquid from a spray canister. I felt Katniss try to loosen her fingers from my hand and I reluctantly let it go. We both massage our hands and then I faced Katniss and said to her

"Thanks for keeping hold of me. I was getting a little shaky there."

"It didn't show. I'm sure no one noticed" she reassured me.

Then as if I couldn't help myself any longer I told her "I'm sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often" then I give her an embarrassed smile. Then she did something unexpected.

_She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed me!_


	6. Chapter 6

I'd like to thank the people who gave their reviews:D I haven't read the reviews yet but i hope it's good feedback. Please continue giving me reviews:D It'll help me write better next time:D I'm sorry for the late updates. I'll try to be faster next time:D btw creative criticism is also greatly appreciated:D

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><p>The Training Center will be our home the whole week or until we go to the arena. It is exclusively for the tributes and their design teams. Effie ushers us to the elevator and blabbing about the big splash we made at the parade. On the way up to the 12th floor, Effie tells us about us being coals that when pressured will turn into pearls. I didn't really pay much attention to her because I'm still dazzled by the fact that Katniss kissed me. We left the elevator shaft and Effie escorted us to our rooms.<p>

My room is painted royal blue. It's bigger than our store with the baking area at the back. There's a king size bed in the middle which is sandwiched between 2 large side-tables. I went to the bathroom to take a bath but before I could remove my costume I was amazed by being surrounded with gadgets. I programmed the bathtub to be filled with warm water and foamy bubbles but I accidentally press rose oil before the bubbles button. Instead of wasting the water, I got in the tub and relaxed. After 10 minutes I got out and accidentally pressed my hand on a gadget near the sink. I was waiting for the electrical shock but instead my whole body is dry and my hair is untangled. I went to the closet and put on some clothes. I picked up a menu on the sofa beside the window overlooking the city and read the menu. Feeling a bit adventurous I picked something that I've never tried before and then I went to the mouthpiece beside a small window and ordered a glass of root beer float. 3 seconds later the small window opens and a frosted glass filled with creamy and bubbly brown liquid topped with whipped cream and a ripe cherry appears. I got a little hesitant it did say beer afterall but the menu also non-alcoholic. Sucking up some courage, I took a sip with the straw. It's excellent! It has the flavour of soda and vanilla ice cream. I picked up this thin pad of metal and then suddenly it says search me. I placed root beer float. It turns out root beer float is a drink made 4 thousand years ago from our ancestors. It is soda and ice cream. They said that in the 50s(that was a long time ago) root beer float originated. I started drinking it and just when I finished the whole drink someone knocks on my door. Cinna said dinner is ready. A few seconds after walking Cinna asked me if I wanted to see the roof. He said that it had the best view of the city. We went up to the roof and walked around for a bit. I noticed that there is a garden but before I could approach it, Cinna told me something. Cinna said the whole roof has a force field around. As if to prove his statement, he pulled out a coin from his pocket and threw it. After a fast spark, the coin back is back on Cinna's hand. We went downstairs, entered the dining room and joined Portia at the balcony. He's the only one here. Once everyone is here the three of us went back inside and joined everyone at the table.

A servant in a white uniform enters and asks me if I wanted some wine. I shake my head no and he leaves and asks Katniss if she wants some wine. She contemplates before saying yes. She takes a tentative sip and unconsciously puckered her lips. She probably didn't like the taste. Just as dinner was being served Haymitch enters the dining room and joins us for dinner. As he lifts his spoon towards his lips, I realized that was the first time I ever saw Haymitch eat anything. I always see him drinking something alcoholic but I've never actually see him eat anything solid. It's also the first time I've seen him almost sober since he didn't refuse the wine. While the others are making some small talk, I join every now and then, I mostly concentrated on eating the mouthwatering meal in front of me. Mushroom soup, bitter green salad with pea sized tomatoes, paper thin roast beef, pasta with a creamy green sauce. Cheese accompanied with sweet blue grapes. In the middle of the meal I noticed Katniss grimace then switched to drinking water like me. I guess the wine was too much for her. When someone removed our plates, a girl in a white uniform brings out a large cake and lights it up. I looked over at Katniss and she's as amazed as I was. Her eyes are mirroring her pleasure. She starts asking questions to the girl.

"What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" she asked. She looked up at the girl and continued "That's the last thing I was-oh I know you!"

Suddenly the atmosphere of the dining room changed. As if someone placed pressure on it. Katniss and I examined our adult companions and they're all looking at her. I glanced at the girl in the white uniform and terror is all over her face.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox?" Effie snaps " The very thought!"

"What's an Avox?" Katniss asked confused.

"Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so she can't speak" Haymitch explains. "She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her"

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless to give an order. Of course you don't really know her" Effie says.

"No I guess not…" Katniss stammers

I snapped my fingers "Delly Cartwright. That's who it is. I kept thinking she looks familiar as well. Then I realized she's a dead ringer of Delly."

That is of course a lie but none of the adults need to know that. Delly is the exact opposite of the girl Avox. Delly has blonde hair like me and smiles at everything. She's the friendliest person in the world. Katniss jumps on my suggestion gratefully and continues

"Of course, that's who I'm thinking of. It must be the hair"

"Something about the eyes too" I added

The heavy atmosphere is lifted and Cinna explains to Katniss the secret of the flaming cake

"The cake has spirits but all the alcohol is burned off. I ordered it especially in honor of your fiery debut."

We eat the cake and then we went to the sitting room to watch the recap of the parade. The other tributes had good costumes but no one reached to our level. As soon as we entered, Effie and Portia softly expressed their delight.

"Whose idea was the hand holding?" Haymitch asks

"Cinna's" Portia answered.

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion" says Haymitch. "Very nice"

I watched Katniss and I was blown away. Her smiles are enchanting face on. Judging by the reactions of the crowd, she had charmed them to do her bidding. I noticed from time to time that I keep looking at Katniss.

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it" Haymitch says to us. "Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk"

Katniss and I walked down the corridor together. Just as we reached Katniss' room I asked something I've been itching to ask her.

"So, Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her lookalike here."

She looks like she's thinking of a way to tell me without revealing too much. Instead of making her suffer more, I asked her

"Have you been to the roof yet?"

She shakes her head no.

"Cinna showed me. You can practically see the whole city. The wind's a bit loud though" I told her

I guess she got what I'm suggesting because a few moments later she asked "Can we just go up?"

"Sure come on" I said to her. I led her up the stairs to where the roof is. The whole Capitol is blazing with life and celebrations. We can only the cars and some random screams. Katniss and I approached the end of the edge of the roof. Then I started talking.

"I asked Cinna why they let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side" I told her

"What'd he say?" she asked me

"You can't" I answered. I held up my hand and touched the invisible wall in front of me. A small electrical current runs on my hand making me pull my hand back.

"Some kind if electric field throws you back on the roof" I explained.

"Always worried about our safety" she says "Do you think they're watching us now?"

"Maybe" I admitted "Come see the garden"

The garden is filled with many flower beds and potted trees. Their scent grows thicker as we approach it. It perfumes the air with a sweet scent but a musky after scent. The wind is stronger in this area. It's perfect hide-out for two lovers having a moonlight conversation. Somehow I heard myself wishfully thinking, I wish we are two lovers. I want to hold her hand again. The last time I held her hand feels like a long time ago, even though it's only been a few hours. As the Games grew nearer, my infatuation for her became deeper. The fates must have a twisted sense of humor. They probably thought "Let's give Peeta a chance with Katniss but let's make it short-lived. The Games will make sure it's short-lived! We'll make them both contestants. Peeta will be crushed! The girl he loves the most will be someone he has to kill and to make him feel worse let's make Katniss think he's nothing but another tribute! That way she won't feel bad about killing him!" They're a real riot, those fates. I turned to look at Katniss and saw that she is in deep thought.

"We were hunting in the woods one day" she started through a whisper.

"You and your Father?" I asked whispering as well.

"No, My friend Gale" she answered. As if on cue, my chest felt sharp pangs of jealousy. Gale. Why is he always with her? Why won't he leave her alone? Maybe I would have a chance if he wasn't with her all the time. Katniss didn't notice that I was mentally filled with jealousy and continued.

"Suddenly all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her. Their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it."

She turned silent for a few minute, as if she was remembering that day then she continued.

"The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere. I mean, one moment the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound but they saw it. A net dropped down on the girl and carried her up, fast, so fast it like the elevator. They shot some sort of spear through the boy. It was attached to a cable and they hauled him up as well. But I'm certain he was dead. We heard the girl scream once. The boy's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And birds began singing again, as if nothing happened."

"Did they see you?" I asked her

"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock" she answered.

I noticed she was shaking. "You're shivering" I told her. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She took a step back but she let me put the jacket on her.

"They were from here?" I asked her as I buttoned the first hole. She nods and then I asked another question.

"Where do you supposed they were going?"

"I don't know" she replied.

"I'd leave here" I blurted out. I glanced around nervously. I feel like someone is watching us.

"I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit the food's prime" I continued.

I stood up and said "It's getting chilly. We'd better go in". Once we've reached the corridor, I asked her her

"Your friend, Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the reaping?"

"Yes. Do you know him?" she asked.

"Not really" I lied. But then again it's sort of true. I knew who Gale was I just don't know him as a person. "I hear girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favor each other" I continued

"No we're not related" She said. I knew that but somehow a part of myself is hoping that they were. I nod and tried to keep my face unreadable.

"Did he come to say goodbye to you?" I asked her trying to be conversational but at the same time keeping my face unreadable.

"Yes" she answered looking at me weirdly "So did your father. He brought me cookies" she continued.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I didn't know that he and Katniss were close.

"Really? Well he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes to had a daughter instead of a houseful of boys" I said " He knew your mother when they were kids"

"Oh yes. She grew up in town." She said. It seems she didn't know. Her mother probably never mentioned my dad to them. When we reached her room, she removed my jacket and gave it to me.

"See you in the morning then" she told me

"See you" I said then started walking down the hall to where my room is. It never occurred to me that our rooms were near each other. I was slightly disappointed that she didn't want to talk anymore but then again she wasn't as talkative as I am. There's also the fact that it's late. I glanced at my watch before I opened my door. Yup, it is late. It's 11 pm already. If I was at home mother would have made us all go to bed by 9:30. We needed to sleep early to get enough sleep before we start baking the next day. I twisted the doorknob and walked inside my room. I removed most of my clothes and placed it in the hamper in the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and went to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I had a dream as soon as I went to sleep.

_I was sitting in the dining room. The walls are cream and a ceiling lamp is hanging above the table. We're in District 12 and we're in my house. I looked to the left and saw a mirror. My reflection looked back at me. I look older, probably around 30. The chair I'm sitting on is comfortable and grander than most things in District 12 but not as grand as the chairs in the Capitol. Suddenly a voice disturbed my thoughts. "Daddy!" I looked to my right and saw a kid beside me. He's probably around 3 years old. He has black hair and blue eyes. MY BLUE EYES. After seeing his eyes I knew he was my son. "Where's mommy?" I asked my son. "Mommy told Dill to tell Daddy that she's getting Prim from school and that you should cook lunch already" he answered. As if on cue, the dining room door opened. "Daddy I'm home" a girl said as she hugged me. Before I could look at the girl who's hugging me, another girl caught my attention. Her hair is the same black as Dill. I found myself looking at an older Katniss. Katniss is smiling at me. It's a smile filled with love and affection. "Peeta" she said in a warm and gentle tone._

Unfortunately my dream was disturbed with someone knocking at my door. It's Haymitch. He's telling me to wake up and join him for breakfast. I got up and walked into the bathroom. While showering, I thought about my dream. Katniss was my wife. We have 2 kids. Their names are Prim and Dill. Katniss and I got married and we have a family. KATNISS AND I GOT MARRIED AND WE HAVE A FAMILY! Then I remembered the Games. It was a dream. An illusion. It is something that'll never happen. The Games made sure of that. Katniss and I won't have a future. We'll never have kids. We'll never get married. I dried myself, put on the clothes someone left on my bed and walked out of my room. Coincidentally, Haymitch came out his room a few meters away from my room. I rushed to his side and we went to the dining room together. Katniss was already in the dining room. She seems to be in deep thought. Haymitch and I greeted her, got some food and joined her at the table. I finish eating and glanced around the table. Katniss is absent-mindedly playing with her roll and Haymitch is getting another heaping plate of stew for the nth time. I went back to the food table and got myself a cup of hot chocolate. I didn't drink it with bread today because I tried not to overdo on the heavy stuff since the train meal experience. I sipped my hot chocolate quietly while Katniss and I waited for Haymitch to finish eating. Finally, Haymitch pushed back his plate with a content sigh, drank something from his flask and started talking.

"So let's get on to business. Training. First off if you like, I'll coach you separately. Decide now"

"Why would you coach us separately?" Katniss asked. A swift slash of hope came through me. Maybe she likes me after all. But then again it could just be my overactive wishful thinking.

"Say if you had a secret skill you might not want the other to know about" Haymitch explained.

Katniss and I exchanged a look. "I don't have any secret skills" I told them "And I already know what yours is, right? I mean, I've eaten enough of your squirrels"

Katniss seemed quite shocked that I knew about the squirrels. The truth is dad likes eating the squirrels he bought when no one is around because, unsurprisingly, mother doesn't approve of eating squirrels. She said only savages eat small, innocent creatures but one time I caught my dad cooking the squirrel. Everyone was out one day but due to some irritating factors, I went home early and went through the kitchen door. I saw dad frying some squirrels. At first he was shocked but once he was done frying his squirrel he got another plate and gave me some. After that, everytime my dad buys a squirrel he'll share it with me. It became an unspoken discussion that we're not telling mother about the squirrels.

"You can coach us together" she told Haymitch. I nodded my approval as well.

"All right. So give me an idea of what you can do" Haymitch says

"I can't do anything. Unless you count baking bread" I said. I sound so pathetic. No wonder Katniss doesn't like me.

"Sorry, I don't" Haymitch says "Katniss. I already know you're handy with a knife"

"Not really" she said "but I can hunt. With a bow and an arrow"

"And you're good?" Haymitch asked

"I'm alright" she said

This got me a bit pissed off. She's excellent. Dad always comment on the squirrels he bought from her. He said that squirrels live in high places so it's either she goes up on a tree to shoot them or she can target them from the ground. If you think about it both ways sound difficult and impressive. I don't know why she's selling herself short. I know modesty is something everyone should have but she's being too modest. In a matter of life and death, she shouldn't be modest. She shouldn't be egoistic but at least tell the truth.

"She's excellent" I exclaimed. "My father buys her squirrels. He always comments on how the arrows never pierce the body. She hits every one in the eye. It's the same with the rabbits she sells the butcher. She can even bring down deer."

"What are you doing?" she asks me suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" I countered. "If he's going to help you, he has to know what you're capable of. Don't underrate yourself"

"What about you" she says "I've seen you in the market. You can lift hundred-pound bags of flour. Tell him about that. That's not nothing" It seems I made her angry.

"Yes, and I'm sure the arena is filled with bags of flour for me to chuck at people. It's not like being able to use a weapon. You know it isn't" I shot back at her sarcastically.

"He can wrestle" she tells Haymitch. "He came in second in our school competition last year, only after his brother" That's true but you're nothing if you don't have a weapon in the arena. A quick wave of pleasure comes through me though. She has noticed me. I thought after the bread incident that was the last time she ever noticed me.

"What use is that?" I ask "How many times have you seen someone wrestle someone to death?"

"There's always hand-to-hand combat. All you need it to come up with a knife, and you'll at least stand a chance. If I get jumped, I'm dead!" she said.

"But you won't! You'll be living up in some tree eating raw squirrels and picking off people with arrows. You know what my mother said to me when she came to say good-bye, as if to cheer me up, she says District 12 will finally have a winner. Then I realized she didn't mean me, she meant you!" I burst out.

"Oh she meant you" she said dissing what I've just told her.

"She said she's a survivor, that one. _She _is" I insisted.

"But only because someone helped me" she said in a small voice.

At first I was confused then I glanced down and saw the roll in her hands. I shrugged and said

"People will help you in the arena. They're be tripping over each other to help you"

"No more than you" she said

I looked at Haymitch and said "She has no idea. The effect she can have" Embarrassed by what I said I looked at the table and started running my nail along it. After a minute of silence, Haymitch says

"Well, then. Well, well, well. Katniss, there's no guarantee that there'll be bow and arrows in the area, but during your private session with the Gamemakers, show them what you can do. Until then, stay clear of archery. Are you any good at trapping?"

"I know a few basic snares" she mutters

"That may be significant in terms of food." Haymtich says. He turns to me and continues "And Peeta, she's right, never underestimate strength in the arena. Very often, physical power tilts the advantage to the player. In the Training Center, they will have weights but don't reveal how much you can lift in front of the other tributes. The plan's the same for both of you. You go to group training. Spend the time trying to learn something you don't know. Throw a spear. Swing a mace. Learn to tie a decent knot. Save showing what you're best at until your private sessions. Are we clear?"

Katniss and I nod.

"One last thing." Haymitch says "In public, I want you at each other's side every minute" Personally I'm quite happy with this arrangement but not to let my secret be revealed I started to complain like Katniss. Haymitch slams the table and insists "Every minute! It's not open for discussion! You agreed to do as I said! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training."

I looked at Katniss to see her reaction. She's biting her lip like she wants to restrain herself from yelling at us. She got up and stormed out of the dining room. She made sure she banged the door extremely loudly. She's that angry. Does she hate so much that she couldn't even think twice about spending time together and say it's not so bad? That's just great. The only time I can talk to help and she hates me. What's next? Telling her I love her and prepare to killed? Yeah that's a great possibility since I am a tribute at the Games. The fates must hate me.

I looked at Haymitch and saw that he's sighing. I guess it must be tough for him too. He's probably trying his best to help us and we're making it harder for him not to kill us instead to save us from all the trouble. I wonder how he felt when all the kids he mentored died. It must hurt a lot . Maybe that's why he drinks a lot. He will be so intoxicated that he'll forget all the deaths he has seen as well as the murders he has committed. I got up from the table, excused myself and went out. I looked at my watch 9:50. I might as well go to the elevator now since I don't want to be late. I was the first to arrive.

I thought about what happened in the dining room. I'd hate to sound conceited but she has been paying attention to me! I can't believe it! It isn't the same as me observing(practically stalking) her but it's a start. Now that I think about it, there are times when I look at her and find her looking at me. We never approach each other but there are times wherein we find ourselves staring at each other before one of us breaks the connection. Most of the time it's her breaking our eye contact but there are times when it's me that breaks it. I hear footsteps to my right and when I looked it's Effie with a big smile on her face.

"Good morning Peeta. You're early today" she says

"I just came from breakfast" I explained

"Is Katniss here yet? We might be late. It's not a good thing to start the morning late you know" Effie says

"She said something about needing to use the bathroom before going down" I lied

"Oh I see. No matter, it's still early anyway" Effie says

I turned back to the corridor. Katniss is on her way here. She's biting her nails. I wonder why. Effie pressed the elevator button as soon as she saw Katniss a few feet away from us. We all got inside the elevator shaft and went down to the training center. The door opens and my eyes popped out in wonder.

To say it is a large gym is an understatement. It's as big as the square at home or maybe even bigger. It's filled with different booths and stations. In one glance I was able to get Archery, Knot tying, Fire making, Sword fighting and Hammock making. That's only a part of the gym. Although it's not 10 yet, we're the last ones to enter the Training Center. Someone placed a number 12 on my back and we went joined the group of tributes. Effie leaves us as soon as we entered the circle. Atala, the trainer, explains to us the schedule of training. We'll be able to transfer from station to station. The only rule is that we aren't allowed to engage in a fight, as training, with another tribute. There are people who are there to assist us if we want to have a partner in a fight. I looked around the group and saw that most the boys and most of the girls are very fit and built. Only a handful look smaller than most. Katniss was right, most of the tributes are bigger than her, even the girls. The Careers are the most athletic looking but it didn't make them unattractive in any way. The girls are built but their faces are still about to remain soft and, in the case of the girl tribute from District 1, sexy. The guys on the other hand look formidable without doing anything. I tried to imagine them with a deadly weapon and I knew that they'll be scarier and more intimidating. Same goes for the guy from District 11. As soon as Atala releases us, the Careers made a beeline to the deadliest stations. I looked at Katniss and asked

"Where would you like to start?"

She thought about it for a minute before answering "Suppose we tie some knots"

"Right you are" I agreed.

As soon as the trainer saw us approach his station, he smiled and started teaching us. I guess the knot tying station doesn't get tributes often. He started teaching us a trap that'll make another tribute dangle upside down from a tree. We master this skill for an hour before moving to another. We went to camouflage. For a self-proclaimed artist, I really enjoyed this station. The trainer is practically singing praises to me. I guess I'm quite good with camouflage. I looked at Katniss and I saw that she wasn't having as much fun as I am. She's distractedly looking at something (and hopefully not someone). I initiated a conversation with Katniss.

"I do the cakes" I told her

"The cakes? What cakes?" she asks

"At home." I explained "The iced ones, for the Bakery"

I was about to say something else but I saw her staring at my arm. I looked at my arm too. What's wrong with it? Did I do something wrong? I looked at her again and saw her scowling at my arm. What did I do? Did I annoy her unconsciously? Before I could ask Katniss spoke again.

"It's lovely. If you could frost someone to death" she said sarcastically.

"Don't be so superior. You can never tell what you'll find in the arena. Say it's a gigantic cake—" I began but before I could continue Katniss interrupted.

"Say we move on"

That's how three days passed by. Me trying to get closer to Katniss while she avoids it. We learn some great tips and valuable skills. We both excel in knife throwing, shelter making and fire starting. Even though Haymitch told us not to show our skills, it slipped out when we went to Hand-in-hand combat for me and edible plants test for Katniss. We never approached weight lifting or archery though.

Breakfast and Dinner are served our floor but for lunch we eat with the other tributes in the gym's dining area. Food are placed in carts and it's self service. Most tributes eat alone, while the Careers eat together. Even though no one told us to eat together, Katniss and I sat in one table and tried to enjoy each other's company. Katniss and I try to converse about something when we eat but we couldn't find a topic that isn't painful to talk about. Talking about home is painful for both of us. Same goes for our present situation. Probably the only time we're able to talk about our present situation was when we're laughing about Haymitch being near our flammable costumes. One day I was getting too fidgety that I started lecturing Katniss about bread.

_I stood up and picked up our bread basket. I placed a piece of cloth on the table, turned the bread basket upside down and picked up the first piece of bread my hand came in contact with. Katniss was staring at me and waiting to see what I'm about to do. I examined the bread and saw it was shaped in the form of a pine tree and there's bits of rosemary sticking out of it. I cleared up some space on the cloth and placed the tree shaped bread in from of Katniss._

"_This bread came from District 7" I told her. She lifted one of eyebrows as if asking an explanation._

"_If you look at it up close you'll see that it's in the shape of a pine tree. Like Christmas cookies. The green herbs that can be seen are rosemary and thyme. Rosemary and Thyme have an earthy flavor making it taste almost tree-like. As you know District 7's main produce is wood and paper so their bread is in tree form" _

_She nodded and started looking interested. I picked up another piece of bread and quickly examined it. I placed it beside the bread from District 7._

"_This one is from District 6. It looks like a regular rectangular piece of bread but if you look at it closely you'll see a pattern of animals engraved on the bread . Cow, Pig, Chicken, Sheep, Goat, Deer, Elk and etc. Since District 6's main resource is livestock that explains the animals."_

_I picked up another piece of bread, did a quick examination and started talking._

"_This one is from District 4. It's in a shape of a fish. The green tinged in the bread came from the seaweed paper they included in the bread. It's not like most bread, it's very salty. The saltiness of the bread makes it a very good combination for the sweetness of the shellfish."_

_I continued doing this until all the bread has been examined and discussed. Katniss was a very good listener and seemed really interested._

"_And there you have it" I said to her as I scoop up all the bread and placed it back in the bread basket._

"_You certainly know a lot" she tells me_

"_Only about bread" I said modestly but actually pleased that she complimented me. "Okay now laugh as if I said something funny"_

_We laughed a somewhat convincing laugh, making the other tributes look at us, and then I sat back down._

"_All right, I'll keep smiling pleasantly and you talk" I told her_

_I don't think I'll ever tire of this. It's really ironic how something I wanted the most is happening just when they're giving me only days to live. It can be exhausting every now and then but spending time with Katniss made it worth the pain. Even though I wanted to do more than just sit beside each other and talk, I'm just thankful we able to spend time together. _

"_Did I ever tell about the time I was chased by a bear?" she asked me_

"_No but it sounds fascinating" I encourage her_

_She puts on this animated face and started telling the story_

"_One day, Gale and I went into the woods. While exploring for a little bit we saw a part of the forest that we aren't familiar with. I wanted to explore it but Gale said we should go back. Crestfallen, I followed to the side of the forest that we know. As soon as Gale and I were done trading our game and parted, I started thinking about the unfamiliar area in the forest. Since it was a weekend, Prim was out and I had nothing to do at home."_

"_Where did Prim go?" I asked her_

"_She went with mom to work" She answered._

"_Why? Prim doesn't look like the type that likes to look at blood and wounds" I asked_

"_That's where you're wrong. I'm the one who could never stomach blood and wound, Prim on the other hand dreams to be just like mom. She wants to help sick people and save lives like mom." Katniss explained. I noticed her eyes seem to sparkle everytime she talks about Prim. She really most love her sister._

"_Oh I see, please continue with your story again" I said_

_She looked a bit confused as if she forgot what we were talking about a few minutes ago. Once she remembered she started talking and continued her story._

"_I went back into the woods and started looking for the unfamiliar area. Once i found it, I started exploring. It wasn't so bad. Not much game are around so I wasn't that alert. Suddenly I heard a buzzing sound above my head. I looked up and saw a large beehive. I thought about how much I'll be able to sell the honey and it's quite a large amount. Feeling greedy, I started climbing the tree where the beehive was at. Just as I was going to pluck it from the tree, I heard a growl below me. It was a big black bear. It just needed to reach up and it'll be able to pluck the beehive from the tree like a ripe fruit."_

"_You didn't hear the bear approach?" I asked her_

"_No I didn't, I was probably deafened by my own greedy thoughts." She answered with a chuckle._

_She took a sip of water and continued talking._

"_I quickly plucked off the beehive, jumped from the tree and started running for my life" we stopped for a bit and started laughing. I couldn't imagine a scared Katniss running for her life. It was absurd. Once we were able to breathe again, Katniss continued her story._

"_I saw a really tall tree in front of me blocking my path, so instead of going to the side I started climbing up the tree. I waited for the bear to be bored and leave me alone but somehow the bear never grew bored. I looked at the sun and saw that it was about to set so I admitted defeat and threw the beehive at the bear. The bear picked it up and walked back to its home. I waited for several minutes before climbing down and going back home" _

That day was probably the best out of the 3 days we're been together. On the second day, I noticed that someone was following around. I thought maybe it was just a coincidence but after lunch she was still following us.

"I think we have a shadow" I muttered to Katniss

She threw her spear and glanced at the corner of her eye. She probably saw the bird-like child that has been following us since training started.

"I think her name's Rue" I whispered.

"What can we do about it" she whispered harshly.

"Nothing to do" I said to her "Just making a conversation"

Everyday Haymitch and Effie pesters us about useless and irritating things. By the end of the second day as we were going to our rooms, I whispered to Katniss.

"Someone ought to get Haymitch a drink"

She made a sound, a cross between a laugh and a snort. Then she stopped and said in a tired voice.

"Don't. Don't let's pretend when there's no one around."

"All right, Katniss" I answer tiredly.

On our last day of training, Each tribute has the chance to show what they've got in their private session with the Gamemakers. Boys go first. So naturally, I was the last boy to enter the gym and I was also second to last to end. Katniss was literally the last to enter. We were silent the whole time. No laughing. No quiet small talk. Just before I went inside for my private session, Katniss game me a few reminders.

"Remember what Haymitch said about being sure to throw the weights" she said this as if she has spoken her thoughts and was surprised with herself.

"Thanks. I will" I promised "You…shoot straight"

I turned and walked into the room. _Shoot straight? _How lame! Why am I so lame? What the hell was I thinking? As soon as I walked it the first thing I heard was:

_One day Bella came in the bar_

_wearing a little pink dress_

_all the men looked at her_

_she gave them a look that said come hither _

I look at the Gamemakers and saw that they're all drunk. I saw some them paying attention at me so I started chucking some weights around.

_i bought myself a drink_

_and the guys said look at that chick_

_isn't she so fine_

_i wanna make her mine _

I picked up another weight. I guess I underestimated its size because I almost dropped it on my foot. I glanced at the Gamemakers and they didn't seem to notice.

_Alcohol going down our throats_

_Having a bottomless tumbler_

_drinking till we're dumber_

_feeling like a bucket of oats_

Why are they singing this horrid song? It makes no sense whatsoever. It's so irritating that they're paying more attention to those senseless lyrics than to my performance. I don't mean to sound spoiled but it's really annoying to upstaged by a song with senseless lyrics.

_i looked for bella and didn't see her_

_damn my vision is a blur_

_how many drinks have i had tonight_

_hope i get home alright_

I started chucking more weights to ease my frustration. They made me feel more pissed off when they started clanking their glasses and singing louder.

_to hell with bella i said to my pals_

_at the other side there are other gals_

_let's buy them drinks and get wasted_

_so loud others would think we're a hundred_

I started punching the dummies they placed for target practice. I thought it might make me feel better..

_Alcohol going down our throats_

_Having a bottomless tumbler_

_drinking till we're dumber_

_feeling like a bucket of oats_

Finally one of the Gamemakers stood up and said in a clear voice "Thank you. You may go now"

_Alcohol going down our throats_

_Having a bottomless tumbler_

_drinking till we're dumber_

_feeling like a bucket of oats_

Thank God. I would have punched them instead of the dummies if I heard another verse.

I honestly hope they'd singing when It's Katniss' turn. If they still want their lives they should stop singing that senseless song. She's not as patient as me and I almost ran out of patience.


	8. Chapter 8

i forgot to mention in the last chapter. The stupid, idiotic, senseless and epic fail of a drinking song was written by me. Please excuse it's stupidity.

Here's 2 new chapters! I was late for a while because inspiration wasn't working well with me a few days ago. As an peace offering i give you guys 2 new chapters:))

hope you like it! please review!

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><p>I waited patiently for Katniss near the elevator at our floor. Haymitch and Effie started asking questions. I told them it's unfair to tell them if Katniss isn't here. I told them to wait for dinner they we'll both tell them what happened. They stopped pestering me and told me they'll be in the sitting room. A few minutes has passed and then finally the elevator opened. Katniss emerged and looked like she's going to breakdown andor burst into tears. Coincidentally, Haymitch and Effie just went out of the sitting room. They saw Katniss storm to her room. Katniss must have locked her door since both of them are knocking very loudly and irritatingly. I marched to them and touched both of them on the shoulder. They looked at me and lifted their eyebrows. I gave them a look saying to leave her alone until she calmed down. They got my message and stopped knocking. I motioned for them to leave and they did. That was refreshing. They actually "listened" to someone else besides themselves.

I went to my room and ordered a snack. Dinner will probably take a while and all that heavy lifting made me hungry. I ordered a crème brulee. I'm not really sure what it is but it sounds good. I picked us the small bowl that they pushed into the small window. The crème brulee is topped with caramelised sugar. It doesn't seem to look like it'll taste awful but just to be safe I took a small spoonful and tasted it first. It's yummy! It's a custard with some vanilla in it. It's very soft and creamy making it taste light. Once I was done with the custard, I started thinking about what happened to Katniss. Did they start singing a more repulsive song when she came in? Did they tell her she's awful? What did they do to her that made her feel awful about herself? She looked like she was about it cry when she came out from the elevator. Before I could continue thinking about what happened to Katniss, someone knocked on my door. It's Portia. She said it's time for dinner and that she and Cinna will be joining us for dinner. I got up my bed and walked to the dining area. I sat down and waited for the others to sit down. Effie and Katniss entered the room and everyone started sitting down. She looks like she cried the whole time she was in her room. Her eyes are red and squinty. Her face is kinda blotchy. She concentrated on her food the whole time while the adults talked about the weather or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention. Katniss looked at me and I raised one of my eyebrows as if to ask a question. She gave a subtle shake of her head. I guess she didn't want to talk about it so I left her alone. Just when they're serving us the main course, Haymitch started talking.

"Okay enough small talk, just how bad were you today?" he asked me and Katniss.

"I don't know that it mattered" I started "By the time I showed up, no one even bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So, I threw around some heavy objects until they told me I could go."

"And you, sweetheart?" Haymitch asked Katniss. Somehow I had a feeling calling that didn't improve Katniss mood. It sure didn't improve mine.

"I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers" she mumbled.

"You what?" Effie asked in a horrified voice

Everyone became quiet. I guess I'm not the only one they pissed off. I knew it might cost their life. But I was as shocked as everyone else at the table. I imagined her picturing the Gamemakers as the dummy she's targeting but I never thought she'd actually use the real people as the dummy. I looked at everyone's expression and saw that Effie had the worse expression. Which isn't really shocking, she always over reacts. The others are just stonily silent. I looked at Katniss and saw she had a worried expression.

"I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. It's like Peeta said, I was shooting and they were ignoring me and I just…. I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of the stupid roast pig's mouth" she explained defiantly

"And what did they say?" Cinna asked carefully.

"Nothing. Or I don't know. I walked out after that" she answered.

"Without being dismissed?" Effie asked practically hyperventilating.

"I dismissed myself" she said.

"Well that's that" Haymitch says as if to end the discussion. He picks up a roll and starts buttering it. Katniss still seems kind of worried. I wonder why.

"Do you think they'll arrest me?" she asked worriedly

"Doubt it." Haymitch says "Be a pain to replace you at this stage"

"What about my family?" she asked "Will they punish them?" That's why she's worried. Katniss doesn't care much about herself but she cares a lot about her family.

"Don't think so. Wouldn't make much sense. See, they'd reveal what happened in the Training Center for it to have a worthwhile effect on the population. People would need to know what you did. But they can't since it's a secret, so it'd be a waste of effort" Haymitch says "More likely they'll make your life hell in the arena"

"Well, they've promised to do that to us anyway" I pointed out

"Very true" Haymitch agrees as he picks up his pork chop and dunked it in his wine. The look on Effie's face was priceless when she saw that. He rips off a part and asked Katniss

"What were their faces like?"

Katniss started to smile and answered "Shocked. Terrified. Uh, ridiculous , some of them" Her eyes popped with laughter when she added "One man tripped backwards into a bowl of punch"

Haymitch starts laughing thus making us all laugh. Effie tried to hide her smile though.

"Well, it serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District 12 is no excuse to ignore you" she glanced around nervously as if she said something she shouldn't have "I'm sorry but that's what I think"

"I'll get a very bad score" Katniss said

"Scores only matter if they're very good. No one pays attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that as strategy" Portia said.

"I hope that's how people interpret the four I'll probably get" I said. Now that I think about it, I'm actually worried about my score.

"If that. Really, is anything less impressive than watching a person pick up a heavy ball and throw it a couple yards. One almost landed on my foot"

Katniss grinned at me and made me lost in thought. At the corner of my eye I saw Portia nudge Cinna. I wonder why. They seem to be doing that a lot these days. After eating, we all went to the sitting room to see our scores. They're going to televise it tonight. They show our headshot first then the score appears below it. The Careers all got scores from 8 to 10. I guess their training paid off. I got slightly nervous when I noticed they're announcing District 10's tributes' scores already. Both tributes from District 11 got really good scores. The guy got 10 and the girl got 7. The score of the little girl surprised me. For someone so small and fragile looking, to get a score like that is practically unheard of. As soon as they flashed my picture on the screen, I prepared myself for a 4 or a 0 but imagine my surprise and relief when they flashed a big 8. I guess not everyone was fond of that senseless drinking song afterall. I looked to my right and saw that Katniss is unconsciously nibbling on her fingernails. She's that worried I guess. As soon as her score was shown on the screen her eyes practically popped out of her head. She got an 11. She's higher than all the Careers. In fact, She's the highest in the whole Games. Maybe the Gamemakers was actually pleased she shot an arrow at the apple of the roast pig. Maybe they made sure they irritate the tributes so that they'll be so frustrated they'll want to prove them wrong about paying more attention to a dead pig.

Effie lets out a squeal of delight when she saw Katniss' score. Everyone started patting Katniss at the back and congratulating her.

"There must be a mistake. How…how could that happen?" she asked Haymitch.

"Guess they liked your temper" He answered "They've got a show to put on. They need some players with some heart"

"Katniss the girl on fire" Cinna says with a hug. I tried my best to keep my expression unreadable because if I didn't it's going to look green with envy and murderous.

"Oh, wait until you see your interview dress!" Cinna continues.

"More flames?" she asks Cinna

"Of a sort" he answered mischievously.

"Congratulations on your score" I cut in. At the corner of my eye, I noticed Cinna smirk and exchange a look with someone. It's probably Portia. I think they're on to me. Is it really that really obvious that even people I barely know found out about my feelings for her? I wonder how they found out.

"You too" she congratulated me. I must be smiling madly because I heard two people muffle their laughter. I'm not really sure who but I'm guessing Portia and Cinna. Katniss on the other hand is still oblivious. Maybe she's really dense when it comes to this kind of thing or Portia and Cinna are just really sharp. I mean, even Haymitch hasn't noticed. But then no one can really tell with Haymitch.

We all went to back to our rooms. I would have liked to talked with Katniss more but I have a feeling she must be exhausted. With the training, crying and worrying she has done today. I'm sure I'll be able to talk to her. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, put on a pair of boxers and immediately went to sleep. I started dreaming as soon as I closed my eyes.

_I'm on a metal plate in the middle of a vast land. I looked to my left and saw Rue and the boy from District 10. I looked to my right and saw the boy from District 8 and the girl from District 2. I looked around to see if I can spot Katniss. She's across me, sandwiched between the girl from District 7 and the boy from District 6. She's so far away. I looked for the Cornucopia and saw that it's in the middle of the land. My eyes immediately saw a beautifully crafted bow and arrow set made out of gold with rubies decorating sheath and bow. I looked over at Katniss and saw that she's spotted the bow and arrow. No don't get it. I thought in my head. It's dangerous. Don't run for it. Listen to Haymitch and don't go near the Cornucopia. I kept chanting in my head as if she might get it telepathically. The gong's sound rings and we're officially allowed to leave our metal plates. As I ran forward, I saw her pick up something on the ground and try to race to the Cornucopia but before she could do that the boy from District 1 got the bow and arrow set and started shooting her. It was a good thing she has fast reflexes because she would have died. She entered the jungle that appeared out of this air and took cover. I grabbed supplies as I ran and watched Katniss at the same time. This is weird. How come no one is coming near me with weapons? How come no one is attacking me? Before I could ponder more, I heard someone call my name "Peeta, come on!" the voice said. I looked and saw the boy from District 2 has been protecting me. The girl from District 1 appeared and started pulling me. I was momentarily confused before it finally registered in my brain that I'm part of the Careers. The Careers included me into their group. _

Like any normal morning in the Capitol, the sound of someone knocking woke me up before I was able to finish my dream. I was getting used to it. I liked it better than Effie barging into my room and saying that we have a "Big, big, big day ahead of us". I took a bath, brushed my teeth and dressed up. It's Sunday. If I was at home, I'd be baking bread by now. Just as I approached my door, I remembered my dream. I was part of the Careers. I know what my strategy is now. I'll be able to protect Katniss with this strategy. I just need to know how I'll be able to convince the Careers to let me in their group. I went out my door and saw that Haymitch just got out of his room. I hurried to his side and blurted out

"I want you to coach me and Katniss separately"

He looked at me with an unreadable expression. He nodded and told Effie about my request as she passed her. She's probably on her way to wake up Katniss.

Haymitch and I went inside the dining room. We both got our food and ate quickly. Effie came inside and ate only a small portion of food so we're all able to finish eating at the same time. They both look at me expectantly and then I gave them a made up story on why I wanted to be coached separately. Only Effie seems convinced. Haymitch gave a look telling me that I should explain to him later. In the middle of our hushed discussion, Katniss entered the dining room and started eating. We all stopped talking and waited for Katniss to finish eating. In the middle of her meal, Katniss noticed that we weren't talking.

"So what's going on?" she asked "You're coaching us on interviews today right?"

"That's right" Haymitch answers.

"You don't have to wait until I'm done. I can eat and listen at the same time" she said

"Well, there's been a change of plans. About our current approach" Haymitch says.

"What's that?" she asks

Haymitch shrugs and says in a voice that hints he barely knows why "Peeta has asked to be coached separately"


	9. Chapter 9

I looked at Katniss' expression as soon as Haymitch revealed the news. For a second a flash of betrayal and relied came through before going back to its stoic form.

"Good" she says "So what's the schedule?"

"You'll each have four hours with Effie for presentation and four with me for content" Haymitch says "You start with Effie, Katniss"

Haymitch and I got up from the table and went to the sitting room. As soon as we sat down on the couch, Haymitch looks at me expectantly asking for an explanation. I told him about my dream, leaving the part of me protecting Katniss out of it, and how I wanted to be part of the Careers.

"So what's the best strategy to be able to join the Careers?" I ask him

"That's a difficult one. I guess show them some of your skills but not all of them" He says "Why would you want to be part of the Careers?"

"I just want to" I said. He looks at me with an expression telling me he's not buying it.

"It'll be easier to survive if I was with them. I've watched the other Games and I noticed that the Careers are the ones who get the most gifts, sponsors and supplies." I insisted

"I'm still not buying it" Haymitch says. "There has to be another reason"

I stared at him while contemplating on whether or not to tell him about my feelings for Katniss. If I tell him he'll be able to help me protect Katniss but there's a risk of her finding out and I don't want her to find out this way. If I don't tell him my secret is safe but there is a possibility that he'd leave her to fend herself and focus all his attention on me since I'm the one who lacks survival instincts. I made up my mind and gave him my answer.

"I've been in love with Katniss since we we're 5 years old" I mumbled softly

"What? Speak up boy! I'm not here to play whispered games with you" Haymitch demanded

"I've been in love with Katniss since we were' 5 years old" I said in a clear voice.

"And you think joining the Careers will help you protect her in the arena?" Haymitch guessed

I nodded not trusting myself to speak.

"You're an odd person. You're risking your life to protect someone you've had a crush on" Haymitch says

I glared at him and demanded "Will you help me or not?"

"I'll help you, I just think it's a stupid idea since joining the Careers is like having your back stabbed in the back as soon as there's only 5 of you left" Haymitch said

"Wouldn't you give your life to someone you love if it means that person will be able to live a normal life after the Games?" I questioned him

"I would if I know that we're the last 2 standing" Haymitch answers softly.

"Then I want you to use all the money my sponsors give me to Katniss, assuming I have sponsors. I lack survival skills. I want you to save her if it meant choosing between the 2 of us. I'll die anyway. But Katniss! Katniss has a chance of living! I have no chance at all. Even if I had a chance, she's the reason I'm still alive. If I become a victor and go back home, I won't have anything to come back home for! I'd be living alone. I'd be wishing I was the one who died and Katniss would be the victor. Save her Haymitch. Pick her instead of me" I pleaded

"I will but for the record I wanted to keep you alive" Haymitch said. I was shocked. What have I done for Haymitch to save me instead of Katniss? I'm just another guy and Katniss was like a girl version of Haymitch. They both have the same personality.

"Thank you" I said to him with eternal gratitude.

"I think I know what your strategy will be for the interview" Haymitch says

"What?" I asked curiously

"We'll put your love to good use" He said with a slight smirk.

"I'm all ears then" I encouraged him

"So Peeta how are you? How are you liking the Capitol so far?" Haymitch asked. I knew Haymitch has started preparing me for my interview.

"Well, Caesar, I find the Capitol has exceed my expectations and more" I answered

"What do you like best about your stay here in the Capitol?"

"What I like most is my bedroom. It's very comfortable and quite luxurious"

"What are the things you'll never get used to in the Capitol lifestyle?"

"The high tech gadgets in the bathroom"

"Why is that?"

"Because everytime I program my bath I always accidentally hit the rose oil button instead of the warm water button. Tell me do I still smell like roses?"

We continued on that way until lunch. By the time lunch came about, Haymitch and I have good moods. We joined Effie and Katniss in the dining room and judging by Katniss' expression their session didn't go as smoothly as ours. Both of them weren't in good moods so I braced myself for the worse when Effie made me enter my room after lunch. It wasn't so bad. It's mostly walking with confidence but with a humble side. Sitting was next. Since mother lectured me about having a good posture since I was young I didn't have a hard time with this. Once Effie finished her lesson she praised me for having a perfect posture and not making the session hard for her. I guess my lessons from hell with mother was a blessing in disguise. Effie checks her watch, tells me dinner is in an hour and leaves my room. I wonder how Katniss' session with Haymitch went.

An hour later I got up from my bed. Without me noticing I fell asleep. I went out of my room and proceeded to the dining room. Everyone is there except for Katniss. I was slightly disappointed but it didn't prevent me from enjoying my meal. It seems Katniss is having a bad day. Both her lessons today went poorly. Maybe that's the reason why she didn't have dinner with us. I left Effie and Haymitch as soon as they cleared my empty last course plate. I passed by Katniss' room and heard the sound of breaking porcelain and glass. I wanted to go inside the room but I have a feeling I'm the last person Katniss wants to see. I feel guilty for having a nice day while she's inside her room releasing her frustration by breaking things. I don't want her to feel worse than her current state. I feel so helpless. I want to help her. I want to comfort her. Hug her and tell her it's going to be alright but I couldn't. Doing something isn't as easy as saying it. I looked along the corridor frantically. Who has the guts, which I lack, to go inside her room and comfort Katniss without being injured? As if she heard me call. The Avox girl that Katniss recognized came walking down the corridor. I waved for her to come to my side and asked to go inside and help Katniss and also to be careful because there are broken pieces of glass and probably porcelain. The girl nodded and went inside. I waited for the sound of breaking glass to fade and then walked back to my room, brushed my teeth and went to sleep.

In the morning, my prep team greeted me with big grins on their faces. Ganache and Barney told me in creepy unison that Portia is waiting for me in the dining room for breakfast and that they'll be working on me for the whole day. I nodded, showered, brushed my teeth, placed on some clothes and marched into the dining room.

Portia just finished eating when I came inside the dining room. She smiled at me as I sat down on the table with my breakfast.

"Eat while I talk" She said to me. I smiled remembering she said the same to me when I met her for the first time.

"I knew it!" she exclaims

"Knew what?" I said feigning innocence.

"You're not fooling me buddy" She said "I noticed it the first time I heard you say something about Katniss."

"When was that?" I asked

"When we were eating and I was telling you how Cinna changed to concept of your costumes because of Katniss"

"I did?" I said slightly surprised

"I had a feeling it's so natural to you that you don't even notice" She said

"Oh. Am I that obvious?" I asked before I could stop myself

"No." she answered

"Then how did you find out? I've kept it a secret for a long time now. How it possible that someone I barely knew, at that time, noticed?" I asked

"Because I'm a girl" she said simply

"Sure that clears it all up" I said sarcastically

"For most girls it's like another sense. It's like another instinct for us. We can sense love from a mile away. I guess reading romance novels and watching romantic movies helped sharpen our skills. In your case, everytime you mention Katniss or when you think about her, your face lights up with a warm gentle glow like candlelight." She told me.

I'm still having a hard time processing this. It must be hard to be a girl. You feel abstract things like love all the time. Suddenly I remembered what Prim said when she came into my room when we were in the Justice Building.

"_I've known for a long time now. I'm quite observant. I always watch my surroundings and everytime I see you. You're looking at Katniss. The signs are practically there. You gave us bread. You watch her when you think no one is looking. You smile when you see a mockingjay. Sometimes you unconsciously design the cakes with Katniss as an inspiration. Sometimes I see you frown when you see Gale talking to her. Sometimes I see you hold your chest as if someone poked you there when she's walking with Gale. Other people wouldn't notice this because it isn't obvious."_

"Then how come not a single one of my friends, that are girls, noticed? How come Katniss didn't notice?" I asked. This conversation is very puzzling.

"Most girls, Peeta. Most is the keyword" She said "Your friends are probably not observant or even if they sense it they probably thought it's absurd. No offense. As for Katniss, she spent most of her time hunting and protecting her family so she didn't have time to sense other things such as love. Or even if she did sense it she probably blew it off thinking it's not as important as feeding her family."

"How come Prim noticed?" I blurted out.

"Prim who's Prim? Ah! Katniss' little sister. Maybe she's really observant" she guessed. And she's right too.

"So that's why you keep giggling and smirking and grinning at me" I said

"You noticed that huh. I admit. I was kind of obvious. I'm surprised Katniss didn't notice it." She said.

"Did you tell Cinna about your suspicions?" I asked

"Yes he is, afterall, my partner" she said

"He didn't tell Katniss right?" I asked

"No, we wanted her to find out for herself" she answered

"Why did you ambush me now if you knew it a long time ago?" I asked

"Haymitch told me and Cinna. We left Effie out because she might blab to Katniss. I like you strategy by the way" she said. "We should head back to your room. Ganache and Barney are probably waiting impatiently for you. They can't wait to get started on you." She said.

"Save me?" I told her. She just laughed and ushered me out of the dining room and into my room.

Once I entered my room, the immediately pushed me into a bathroom where they filled the bathtub with foamy bubbles and an unfamiliar scent. They scrubbed my body till it hurts and made me go out of the tub. They programmed another set of solutions and made me go back inside the tub. Once I'm dry and they've finished polishing my nails, they gave me a robe to wear and some boxers and told me to wait for Portia. A few minutes later, Portia came in my room with a large garment bag. She opened it and revealed the suit I'm supposed to wear for the interview. When you first look at it, it looks like a regular suit with a handful of fire accents. Regular for the Capitol that is. I put on the suit and then I was immediately pushed into the sunlight.

"Look down" Portia ordered

I looked down and I was amazed. The plain suit is nowhere to be found. The hem of my pants are sparkling and were parts of my jacket. The fire accents were brighter versions of the hem and jacket.

"It looked better than I expected. You look good enough to be a ray of the sun" Portia commented.

"huh?" I said confused

"Cinna designed Katniss' dress in a way that it's gorgeous enough to compete with the sun" Portia explained

"Since Katniss is the one wearing, I'm sure the sun will look pathetic afterwards." I said

"See. I told you" she said

"See what?" I asked and glanced behind me.

"The way you comment and praise Katniss is so natural to you that you don't even notice it. That girl is very lucky to have someone like you to love her. I just wish she knew. She'd be stupid and pathetic if she lets you go" she said

"She has to accept me first before she could let me go" I pointed out

"Nervous about later?" She asked

"Extremely. I hope I'll be able to do it" I say to her.

We met up with the others at the elevator and went down the elevator. As soon as I saw Cinna help Katniss out of her room, I ignored the pang of jealousy I felt. She's so beautiful. She looks like an angel. Not so much of an angel but a goddess. A FIRE GODDESS. I'll never doubt Cinna's talent forever. I thought she couldn't look any better when we had our chariot ride. But once again Cinna proved me wrong and had done the impossible. He made her look as radiant as the sun. As a ray, I don't mind that I'm less dazzling as her. I couldn't care less. From the way her skin shimmers and her eyelashes sparkle to the way her dress moves as if she's starting to burn up, I love it all. I barely noticed that she's having a hard time in those really high shoes she's wearing. Portia is giggling like mad beside me. Cinna is smirking at my expression. I must have a stupid expression on. Who cares? If Katniss doesn't care (or notice) I'm cool with a dumb expression.

We saw the other tributes lining up as soon as the elevator opened. Every single tribute is required to sit at the arc during our interviews. I'll be the last one to be interview today. It gives me more time to mentally prepare myself. My strategy is very nerve-wracking. It made me more nervous than usual. A minute before we go onstage, Haymitch pulls us over to give us last minute reminders.

"Remember you're still a happy pair. So act like it" He growls at us.

He gave me a hard look as if to say good luck and I hope she doesn't kill you before he pushes us onstage. I looked around my surroundings and saw that the stylists have a reserved row of seats at the crowd. I tried to find Portia but didn't see her.

Each tribute has only 3 minutes with Caesar Flickerman. You'll hear a buzzer beep when your 3 minutes with Caesar is done. Caesar Flickerman will be our host tonight but then again he's been the hot for 40 years now. The only thing that changes in him is hair color. He still wears the same suit of midnight blue and twinkling lights. He bounces on the stage showing off his newly dyed hair. This year, his color of choice is pale powder blue. His eyelids and lips are also coloured in pale powder blue. He starts the show with an opening spiel and some jokes and then proceeds with the interviews.

Time seems to pass by and it's District 11's turn. I began reminding myself to remember the strategy and not to mess it up. Pretty soon it's Katniss' turn. She confidently walks up to Caesar, shakes hands and then they start the interview.

"So Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District 12. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" Caesar asks. Katniss looks around the audience before answering

"The lamb stew"

"The one with the dried plums?" he asks. She nods and he exclaims "Oh I eat it by the bucketful". He turns sideways with an expression of horror and asks "I doesn't show does it?" A few seconds after the crowd reassures him, he continues his interview with Katniss.

"Now Katniss, when you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped. What did you think of that costume?" he asks. She looked at something or someone from the audience before answering

"You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" she asks. The audience laugh and Caesar says "Yes. Start then"

"I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I've ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this either." She says as she holds out the skirt of her dress.

"I mean. Look at it!" she exclaims.

Suddenly she's twirling in front the audience, dazzling everyone who's can see her. Me included. I looks as if a goddess is creating magic by twirling, giving warmth to everyone in the Panem. Caesar keeps encouraging her to twirl more and more. Finally she stopped twirling and held Caesar's arm for support.

"Don't stop" he begs

"I have to, I'm dizzy" She said while giggling. He wraps an arm around her and it took some energy to stop myself from punching the guy.

"Don't worry I've got you. Can't have you following your mentor's footsteps." He says. I was momentarily confused before remembering Haymitch's infamous head dive. Haymitch waves at the camera before motioning it to go back to Katniss.

"It's all right. She's safe with me" he assures the crowd. "So, how about that training score E-le-ven. Give us a hint what happened in there."

Katniss glanced at the Gamemakers on the balcony and bit her lip. "Um…all I can say is, I think it was a first"

The cameras focused on the Gamemakers and they're chuckling and nodding.

"You're killing us" Caesar says in an agonized tone. "Details. Details"

She looked at the balcony and said "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?"

Some Gamemaker answered "She's not"

"Thank you" she says "Sorry. My lips are sealed"

"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping and you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?" Caesar said.

"Her name's Prim. She's just twelve. And I love her more than anything" she said.

"What did she say to you? After the reaping?" he asked

"She asked me to try really hard to win." She answered with some difficulty. I wanted to push Caesar off the stage. He knew this was a difficult subject for her. Why is he pressing her?

"And what did you say?" he asked

"I swore I would" she answered softly.

"I bet you did" Caesar said as he squeezed her. The buzzer goes off and Caesar goes "Sorry we're out of time. Best of luck, Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District 12" then it's my turn.

I walked forward with my heart pumping hard. I shook hands with Caesar and he started the interview.

"So Peeta, my sources tell me you're a baker's son. What's your life like?" Caesar asks me.

"It's not the most ideal lifestyle. We normally wake up at 4 am and, after a quick breakfast of day old bread, start baking right away. We do this everyday, if you don't count the days like the reaping. I have to bake bread first before going to school. My family leaves the sweet breads and the pastries to me and they bake the others. I take a bath before leaving the house but somehow the smell of cinnamon and vanilla still lingers on my skin" I answer

"I see. It's very different from our lifestyle here in the Capitol. What do you like most in the Capitol for the whole duration of your stay here? He asks me

"I love my suite the most. If you don't count the exquisite cuisine of course." I answered

"Why is that?" he asks

"Mainly because it's very comfortable" I answer

"What do you like least?" He asks

"The bathrooms" I said with a chuckle

"Why?" he asks slightly confused

"The gadgets in the bathrooms here are not something I'm used to. I always accidentally press the rose oil button instead of the warm water button. So if at home I always smell like cinnamon and vanilla, here in the Capitol I always smell like roses or some other type of flower. Tell me do I still like roses?" I asked

Caesar came near me and sniffed me. "No" he answers

"Thank god! I don't wanna smell like roses anymore" I say

"You smell like freesia and orange blossoms now" He said with a smirk. The audience laughed at that

I gave a horrified expression and said "Oh no!" making the audience laugh harder.

"Now scents aside" Caesar said "Do you have a girlfriend waiting for you at home?"

Oh no. It's time for my strategy. I thought. Caesar mistook for my in-thought expression for hesitation, which isn't really bad. I gave him a hesitant shake of my head.

"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" He asks me. Haymitch was right! Caesar did about my love life. My unrequited love life. I have a feeling many citizens of Panem will be able to know how I feel.

"Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping." I said. Technically most of what I said is true. Except the last sentence. She knew me it's just that she didn't care. I sound so bitter it's almost funny. Almost.

"She has another fellow?" he asks me

"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her" I said trying not my best not to remember what the guys said the last time I saw them.

"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down eh?" he said encouragingly

"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning…won't help in my case" I said sadly. I tried my best not to think about it but somehow my dream of me and Katniss having a family came flashing back in my head. We have kids. MY son has MY blue eyes! We live TOGETHER! I took it hard when reality sank in and the dream evaporated.

"Why not?" he said confused. Oh god it's time. I'm confessing to her. And in front of ALL the viewers. PLUS her family, my family and Gale. Haymitch! What were you thinking when you said this was the best way to protect Katniss? It's sooo hard! And embarrassing! I glanced at Portia for a second and saw that she and Cinna are grinning madly and her eyes are practically shooting out stars and sparkling glitters. I can feel a blush coming.

"Because" I started. Yup the blush is definitely there "because she came here with me".


	10. Chapter 10

I'm sorry it took a while. My USB and I played hide and seek and I was the it. It took me a long time before I was able to find my USB. Thanks for the new reviews :D keep it coming guys! I really love it when someone reviews my work. Creative criticism works too :D Once again, I'm really sorry.

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><p>I kept silent the whole time while the audience and practically everybody else soaked in what I just said. It was hard not to look at the camera to see Katniss' expression but I managed not to look. In fact I didn't look anywhere except the floor. I wonder what's going on inside her head right now. I can't imagine what her reaction is going to be. She can be a little unpredictable at times. Will she hate me so much she won't talk to me ever again? Or would she confess her love to me? Will she tell me she has liked me since the time I gave her burnt bread? I know the last 2 was out of the question. My fantasies will remain just that. Fantasies. I can sense a bitterness in my mind. It doesn't matter now. I told Katniss I love her. Whether I die or not in the Games at least she knows how I feel. Caesar's voice brings me back to my present situation.<p>

"Oh that is a piece of bad luck" he says

"It's not good" I agreed

"Well, I don't think any of us can blame you. It'd be hard not to fall for that young lady." He said "She didn't know?"

I shook my head and answered "Not until now"

"Wouldn't you love to pull her back out here and get a response?" Caesar asked the audience. No. I don't want to make a bigger fool of myself. I can't believe I trusted Haymitch to make me do this. I couldn't confess to her when we're alone. How was he able to make me do this in front of PANEM? Obviously the crowd disagrees with me. I bet they'd love to get Katniss' response. It's just what I needed. To be rejected before going to the bloodbath tomorrow. What's weird is that I have never even thought of the Games. Just now. I guess it never occurred to me that there's a possibility I'd be dead by this time tomorrow.

"Sadly, rules are rules, and Katniss Everdeen's time has been spent. Well, best luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all the people in Panem when I say our hearts go with yours." He says.

"Thank you" I said quietly and walked back to my place beside Katniss. I barely notice the playing. I'm sure I lifted my head to show respect but my mind wasn't anywhere near the anthem at all. I'm bracing myself for rejection and humiliation. I hope Portia won't rub it in that Katniss doesn't like me. Although I know Portia isn't that type of person but you can't really tell since I've only known her for a few days. I barely know her, in fact. I don't even know her last name.

We all head to the elevator to go back to our rooms. I got separated from Katniss and went up the elevator with Rue, District 3 and the boy from District 4. We were silent the whole way. I'm not sure if it's because they don't know what to say or because they're not as talkative as I am. Just when we passed 8th floor, Rue looked at me and smiled. I don't really know why. Before I could ask, she's already going out of the elevator.

The elevator opened and ,just as I was about to make my second step, I was suddenly pushed with too much force. I lost my balance and cut my hands as soon as I hit the ground. I looked up bewildered and saw Katniss' angry face above mine.

"What was that for?" I asked in a mixture of horror and amazement. Does she hate me so much that she wanted to push be back into the elevator and cut my head off? If it is good thing I missed and fell on a vase of some sort. I'm amazed by her whole look. She looks like she has fire as a background and not the lush walls of the floor. Girl on fire strikes again.

"You had no right! No right to go saying those things about me" she screamed at me. No right with what? Confessing my feelings for her? Would Gale be angry at her if someone else confesses to her? Was it my fault that she was hard to resist? Was it my fault I fell in love with her? I've tried. So hard. Not to fall in love with her. Did she really think I could stop it easily? If I wasn't able to stop it 11 years ago what makes her think I'll be able to stop it now? Did she think that I haven't tried to stop it? I have. Multiple times. It just kept coming back. I've dated the nicest girls and still nothing happened. My mind would drift off. After a few minutes in our date, I'd start thinking about what it would be like if Katniss was the one with me. It's so hard. She can't blame me for that.

The elevator opened and the rest of our team was there. Cinna, Portia, Haymitch and Effie.

"What's going on?" Effie demanded slightly hysterical. "Did you fall?"

"After she shoved me" I answered as Cinna and Effie helped me up.

Haymitch turned to Katniss. "Shoved him?"

"This was your idea, wasn't it? Turning me into some kind of fool in front of the entire country?" she told Haymitch. That's what she thought. My love for her was something that'll make me foolish. I'd like to be a man and say it was ok and there are other fish in the sea but it hurt. It hurts. I feel like she just pierced my heart with a dagger and digging it in slowly. My love is a joke to her. It made her feel foolish.

"It was idea. Haymitch helped me with it" I told her while trying to remove the bits of clay from my hand. It was technically my fault since I told Haymitch of my feelings for her. Although, it wasn't his fault I foolishly told the whole country of my unrequited love for her. I shouldn't have agreed to this strategy but it's my only way of getting into the Career's group. They'll use me to bait Katniss to come out of wherever she's hiding once we're in the Games. I plan to lead them away from her of course.

"Yes, Haymitch is very helpful. To you!" she said angrily. By this point I'm not sure she's angrier at. Me or Haymitch? It doesn't really matter since either way she's still angry at us.

"You are a fool" Haymitch says. He's not exactly helpful when it comes to calming Katniss down. "Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own"

"He made me look weak!" she said defiantly.

"He made you look desirable! And let's face it, you can use all the help you can get in that department. You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do. You're all they're talking about. The star-crossed lovers from District 12!" he said.

"But we're not star-crossed lovers!" she insisted. Ouch. What a way to tell me she doesn't like me. I guess when you're angry you say things you don't mean. Wait. Who am I kidding? Not myself. No one actually. It's not like there was a small chance that she might like me too. In fact, she never liked me. I'm the only one who actually felt something about the other that isn't negative. And to be fair, it's not like she encouraged me.

Haymitch grabs Katniss and pins her on the wall. As much as I appreciate Haymitch for explaining it to Katniss, he doesn't need to be abusive. If he becomes worse, Katniss won't be the only one who'll be abused. I'll make sure of it.

"Who cares? It's all a big show. It's all how you're perceived. The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself was a small miracle. Now I can say you're a heartbreaker. Oh, oh, oh how the boys back home fall longingly at your feet. Which do you think will get you more sponsors?" he said to her

Katniss shakes his hands off her and steps away. Cinna goes to her side, puts his arm around her shoulders and says

"He's right, Katniss"

"I should have been told, so I didn't look so stupid." She said

"No, you're reaction was perfect. If you'd known, it wouldn't have read as real" Portia says. I forgot she was there. She was weirdly quiet.

"She's just worried about her boyfriend" I said trying to hide the bitterness in my voice while picking out the bits on my hands. I looked at Katniss and saw her blushing.

"I don't have a boyfriend" she said almost defiantly.

"Whatever" I said. "But I bet he's smart enough to know a bluff when he sees it. Besides you didn't say you loved me. So what does it matter?" It's hard to reassure her about Gale when my emotions are being crushed at the same time. I know that she likes Gale. I know that he likes her too. So why am I pushing myself to make her like me when it's so obvious that she hates me. I feel like no matter how hard I try I'm going to be heartbroken anyway.

I looked at Katniss and saw her in deep thought. I guess it worked but somehow I felt more bitter than usual in this situation. It's like she's rubbing it on my face that she doesn't like me. Unconscious or not it still hurts. I'll just have to deal with it. I'm going to die anyway. I'll make the most of my life with or without her since I only have a few weeks left. A couple of months at most. It's hard to say when you're in the Games. At least I'll die knowing that she knows how I feel about her.

Katniss brought me out of my mind when she suddenly asked

"After he said he loved me, did you think I could be in love with him too?"

Portia glanced at me and said "I did. The way you avoided looking at the cameras, the blush"

The others started agreeing with Portia. As if to cue them to stop agreeing, the scent of mouthwatering food wafted to our area and made them stop talking and without another word head to the dining room. I was about to join them until I remembered my injury. I stopped so suddenly that Portia came out of her trance and led me to where the first aid kit is kept.

We didn't talk on the way to the supply cupboard but once we sat down on the sofa and she started treating me arm our conversation started.

"So, Peeta" she started. I'm not really sure where she's going to start so I just replied

"Yes Portia?"

"You finally told her" she said with a gleam in her eyes. I guess she wanted me to confess to Katniss as soon as she was sure I really love Katniss.

"Yes Portia. You were there. Along with the whole population of Panem" I said "I made a fool of myself in front of the whole country."

"BUT YOU STILL CONFESSED!" she said happily. I'm not really sure why she's happy. I mean I got rejected. I'm happy that I told her but I'm not so happy that I got rejected. At least it wasn't in front of the whole country.

"I confessed as part of the strategy I worked out with Haymitch" I countered

"So you're saying your feelings are just a part of your oh-so-complicated strategy?" she said

"No!" I said a little defensively "my feelings are real but then again so is my rejection" that bitterness again! Why can't I keep it to myself?

"It's okay, Peeta. What's important is that you told her. Sure along with the people of Panem but at least it's out." She said to me

"I know Portia. I guess I knew I would be rejected. After all I've never said a word to her even before the Games started." I said to her

"YOU NEVER SAID A WORD TO HER?" she looked so shocked her face screams surprise.

"Not I single one. Every time I try I lose my train of thought or back out before I could make a step towards her direction." I explained

"Then how were you able to fall in love with her? Don't tell me you're one of those guys who like girls by their looks. Don't get me wrong Katniss is gorgeous but I thought you're more than those typical guys" she said.

"I'm not! I heard her sing on our first day of school. Her voice was so amazing that all the birds stopped singing and listened. Her dad was the same. After that I became so in love with her I notice everything she does. I don't mean to sound stalker-like but I didn't follow her home or anything like that" I said

"First day of school. Which first day? You get first days every year" she said

"The first day of school when I was only 5" I said in a quiet voice, looking away from Portia. I looked at Portia and saw her eyes popping out of her eyes. Finally she turned them back to normal size and looked at me with a soft expression.

"That long. It's been that long" she said almost as if she was saying it to herself.

I looked down and saw my hands are wrapped in bandages. I didn't notice she was finished treating my hands. Portia started to talk to me again.

"You've loved her for so long. Why didn't you tell her before?" she said almost in a whisper.

"I didn't have the guts to say it before. Before I couldn't make my foot move a step closer to her. I sometimes stare at her on her way inside the classroom but that's as near as it's going to get." I said in the same volume.

"If you didn't love her so much I would hate her. You're the nicest guy I've ever met. You have one of the purest feelings and for a guy that's hard to come by" she said to me "come on, stand up. We have to join the others for dinner. I don't know about you but all this stressful love drama is making me hungry"

"You're stressed? What did you do besides laugh at my humiliation?" I said to her as we stood up.

We were quiet on the way to dining room. When we entered the dining room, the others have just finished the soup course. Portia and I sat down while the Avoxes placed the 2nd course. We didn't talk much throughout the whole meal. Just a few random comments every now and then. After dinner, we headed towards the sitting room where we watched the replay of the interview. Katniss was charming and breathtaking. I was a romantic good guy. I did well, I just hope it's enough to get me and Katniss tons of sponsors. During the session, I told Haymitch that I want to give all the gifts from my sponsors, assuming I have sponsors , to Katniss. Haymitch said he would give some but he has to send some to me or else the sponsors will get suspicious.

I didn't notice the anthem has finished playing and the tv set was turned off. I got up from my seat and went to Effie. She clasped my hand, as well as Katniss', with tears in her eyes and told us that we've best tributes she's ever had, good luck in the arena and that she might get promoted to a better district next year. It's a typical Effie thing to say but she is Effie. She kisses us both on the cheeks and hurries out as if she doesn't want us to see her crying. I didn't notice that Cinna and Portia left as soon as the tv was off until Haymitch stood in front of us, crossed his arms and looked at us.

"Any final words of advice?" I asked him

"When the gong sound, get the hell out of there. Neither of you are up for the blood bath at the Cornucopia. Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water" he said to us. "Got it?"

"and after that?" Katniss asked expectantly.

"Stay alive" he says. Somehow that single line added another heavy layer on my back. Reality soaked back in like a water on sponge. All the mouthwatering food, the luxurious and comfortable room, the best bathroom became bubbles. One by one popping into thin air.

Katniss and Haymitch left without another word even when we met Portia and Cinna outside the room. I talked with Portia for a bit but I don't really know what we talked about. I guess I spaced out or wasn't really paying attention. Maybe Portia noticed that too, that's why she told me to get some sleep. I walked towards my room and flung all my clothes off. I walked inside the bathroom and took a really long bath. This might be the last time I will be clean again so I might as well make the most of it.

After about 20 minutes of sitting in the foamy warm water, I knew I was never going to relax so I got up and dried myself. Put on some clothes and a robe and went out of my room. I'm sure I won't be able to sleep so why bother lying down? I'm not really sure what I'm wearing I didn't really care as long as I'm wearing it correctly and I have a complete set and not left anything out. I didn't really know where I was going until I found myself going up the stairs.

I went up the roof and sat down facing the city. The streets are full of life and excitement. It's very noisy so it could probably distract me from my thoughts. It didn't work. I still kept thinking.

I know I'm not a contender for the Games. I'm pretty sure I don't have survival skills. I can't hunt, attack or kill. I can't climb anything. I can't swim. Although there is one thing I'm sure of, I can't give up. I'll use every fiber of my being to make sure Katniss is the one who wins. To make sure she's the one going home alive and happy. She deserves it more than anyone else in the whole competition. She has something to go back to. I don't. My friends and family will be sad but they'll get over it. Katniss is the only one I care about and if she goes home happy and victorious then I'm content with dying. I'm afraid to die. Almost everyone is but It's unavoidable. I just hope that when I die, I'll die as myself. I'll die as Peeta Mellark. I'll die knowing the girl I love the most will get the life she deserves and be content. I won't die as a killer who kill for the fun of it. I won't die as an uncivilized monster that strangles people in their sleep. No! I will die as Peeta Mellark, the one who gave his life for someone he loves the most. Someone worth fighting and dying for. Someone named Katniss Everdeen.

"You should be getting some sleep." Katniss suddenly says. i admit I jumped a little. I didn't know she was there. I didn't look at her though I kept my eyes at the noisy street below. I gave a slight shake in my head.

"I didn't want to miss the party. It's for us after all" I said to her. She walked to my right and leaned against the railing.

"Are they in costumes?" she asked me

"Who could tell? With all the crazy clothes they wear here. Couldn't sleep either?" I asked her.

"Couldn't turn my mind off" she said. Why? Maybe she's thinking about home. Maybe she's thinking about Prim and her mom and Ga….

"Thinking about your family?" I guessed.

"No. All I can do is wonder about tomorrow. Which is pointless, of course" she said. That's true. Since they won't show us what we're facing tomorrow. She must have looked at my hands because she suddenly said "I really am sorry about your hands"

"It doesn't matter, Katniss, I've never been a contender in these Games anyway" I said

"That's no way to be thinking" she said to me

"Why not? It's true. My best hope is not to disgrace myself and …" I unintentionally trail off.

"And what?" she asked me

"I don't know how to say it exactly. Only … I want to die as myself. Does that make sense?" I ask her

She shook her head looking confused.

"I don't want them to change me in there" I tried to explain "Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not"

She bit her lip looking a bit guilty before asking "Do you mean you won't kill anyone?"

"No, when the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everybody else. I can't go down without a fight. Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to… to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece of the Games" I said

"But you're not. None of us are. That's how the Games work" she reassured me

"Okay, but within that framework, there's still you and there's still me. Don't you see?" I tried to explain unsuccessfully.

"A little" she said "Only… no offense but who cares Peeta?"

"I do. I mean, what else am I allowed to care about at this point?" I said angrily to her unintentionally locking my eyes into hers. She took a step back before answering

"Care about what Haymitch said. About staying alive" as much as I find this touching that she doesn't want me to give up. I found it exceptionally stupid. I'm not a contender at the Games. I have no chance of winning.

I smiled at her sarcastically before saying "Okay. Thanks for the tip sweetheart" I didn't mean to let the "sweetheart" slip it just did. It must have offended her or something because she looked really pissed off.

"Look, if you want to spend the last hours of your life planning some noble death in the arena, that's your choice. I want to spend mine in District 12" she spat to me angrily.

"Wouldn't surprise me if you do, Give my mother my best when you make it back, will you?" I said to her. The latter, of course, is an inside joke. I highly doubt my mother would care if I die with manners or not. Maybe she would but you'd never know.

"Count on it." She said to me before going back downstairs.

I'm left alone on the rooftop again. I stayed for a couple more minutes before going down to my room. I lay down on my bed and tried to sleep. Every now and then I would wake up and think about Katniss and the Games. I was half asleep when Portia woke me up. She made me stand up and wear a cotton shirt and some jeans. Once I'm dressed we go up to the roof and a hovercraft appears out of thin air. I put my hands on the ladder they drop and my whole body instantly froze. As if someone paralyzed me, only I'm aware of what's happening. A person comes to me with a syringe, he or she told me that the tracker for the tributes should be injected into my arm and that I need to be still. Considering my whole body paralyzed they won't have any problem of me not being still. Portia and I ride the hovercraft, not talking at all, all the way to the launch room. I didn't eat much. Just a roll and some coffee. I'm going to need all the energy I could get since I didn't sleep much last night. The clothes arrived and Portia helped me dress up. The only garment that caught our attention was the thigh length jacket. Portia felt the fabric and told me it reflects heat so I should expect cold winds and etc. I drank more water because I noticed that most tributes die when they're dehydrated. Finally a female voice breaks the silence of the room and tells us to step onto the metal platform.

Portia hugs me and says "I'm rooting for you, Peeta. You're the best tribute I've ever handled"

I chuckle before saying "I'm the first tribute you've ever handled."

Portia says "If I had any money for sponsorship I'd sponsor you. If I'm allowed, being a stylist does have its downfalls"

"I appreciate it but If you're allowed I want you to give it to Katniss. She has a better chance of going out of that hellhole alive" I said

"Katniss is stupid to not know you better. Chin up, you need to look confident" She told me

I lifted my chin a fraction just in time before the platform rises. And then I hear it. Claudius Templesmith's booming voice saying that phrase that starts our destiny. The tribute's destiny.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin"


	11. Chapter 11

I'm sorry if you don't find this chapter as good as my other chapters. I promise I'll try harder next time :D I'm just not good when it comes to describing fight scenes and such. I don't mean to be stereotypical but I'm a huge girly-girl. I rarely watch action pack scenes and such. I'm more of Rom-Com, Fantasies and Animation. I only watch action/adventure or whatever when there's a hot guy in it or when I like the story/plot. Hell I haven't even watched Star Wars yet. Yes yes I'm ashamed. Many people have gasped when they found out. So anyway, I'd really love it if you could give me some tips or creative criticism as reviews for this chapter. Thanks and enjoy reading :D

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><p>One minute. How can one minute feel like one hour? We're required to stand on our circle for one minute. This must be the longest minute in the history of minutes. Although I'm not eager to start the Games, I need all the time I could get to impress the Careers. I looked around me to find Katniss and I saw her concentrating on something at the Cornucopia. It is a large shell shaped cone made out of gold. The Cornucopia is the place where tributes can get the most essential supplies. There are other supplies scattered around the Cornucopia but the most important ones are at the Cornucopia. One of the reasons why a tribute from the Careers is almost always a victor is because of the Cornucopia. As if it was a tradition, the area of Cornucopia and the Cornucopia itself is exclusively for the Careers. Although I'm sure others have tried to dominate that area before the Careers, most of the time the Careers have claimed that area as if it was a token of survival, which in a sense is what the Cornucopia is.<p>

I looked at the Cornucopia and tried to find what caught Katniss' attention. She's supposed to follow Haymitch and head away from the Cornucopia. What's so important that she won't even listen to Haymitch's survival tip? And then I saw it. It was a beautifully crafted silver bow and sheath which is filled with arrows. She's probably thinking of a strategy on how to get them without others gaining up on her. I saw look around and finally notice me. I started shaking my head, hoping she'll get my message and not push through with the bizarre plan she probably made in the last 5 seconds. The gong rings and we're allowed to move from our metal plates.

I start running towards the Cornucopia, shoving people along the way. I need to show the Careers what I can do. They have to include me. The girl from District 2 got to the Cornucopia first. She pokes around before grabbing a handful of knives. She starts flinging then around with startling accuracy to other tributes, each one dead after a few seconds. I saw Katniss, fighting some guy over some backpack, for a brief second before I saw the girl from District 2 fling a knife at her direction. Luckily, and unluckily for the guy, it hit the guy she was fighting with and she only got sprayed with blood the guy coughed out. I was so outraged that adrenaline started pumping into my veins. The girl saw me and flung a knife at my direction. I don't know how I did it but somehow I managed to grab the knife with my hand without getting cut. The girl was as surprised as I was so I made use of her distraction by sending the knife back to her. Unfortunately a guy appeared in front of her and the knife hit him instead. It hit his shoulder so I grabbed the knife from his back and looked around. I notice the others that aren't dead and not part of the Careers started advancing towards me. Then as if someone was controlling me like a mindless zombie, I started attacking every single one of them. I flung the knife at the nearest one and fought hand and hand with the next. I'm not sure who I was fighting with or what's his/ her gender, all I know is that I just injured them. I, of course, made sure of that. I tried my best not to hit any vital parts with my knife and/ or fists. Once all my attackers are finally retreating, I looked at the Cornucopia and saw the Careers watching me. I must have impressed them since they actually stopped before attacking me. I notice the leader didn't join the others when it came to attacking me. So I guess this must be a test. They're probably testing my skills. I grabbed the nearest person and threw him or her to the person brandishing a sword to my right. I grabbed the sword the person dropped and slashed at the next person attacking me. Once the person I was attacking started retreating that was the only time I noticed they stopped attacking me. I turned my head to their direction and lifted one of my eyebrows to them as if to ask if I'm good enough to join them. The leader must have understood it because he suddenly approached me and started talking to me.

"I hate to say it but you're good lover boy" he said to me. I kept silent and waited, still kind of tense just in case he starts attacking me.

"What do think about becoming allies?" he asked me. I looked around as if I was only considering it now and It wasn't my strategy at all.

"Sounds good. You can call me Peeta" I told them

"Fat chance lover boy, I'm Cato" Cato said and then he pointed to the girl who "gave" me the knife and continued "that's Clove" and then he pointed to the boy with the aristocratic features and said "That's Marvel" and pointed to the blonde girl with seductive but mischievous smile and said "That's Glimmer" and lastly he pointed to the girl with big animated eyes and pouted lips and said "and that's Marlene"

"Uh..hi?" I said not really knowing what to say.

"Okay enough talking we need to work. Girls keep watch and look for food in the Cornucopia while the guys and I will make shelter and fill our bottles with water. Alright move it" Cato said. Before we could make another move, cannons start to fire.

BOOM!...one

BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!...two, three, four

BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! Until it reaches eleven.

Eleven dead. A great lost. Before anyone could say another word, Cato looked at us as if to say "what are you waiting for? Move!"

We worked and at the same time we examined all our goods. While the girls were looking for bottles they found 2 pairs of glasses that doesn't work on sunlight. Marvel found a box of knives and a handful of grenades. When no one was looking I hid the silver bow and sheath Katniss behind some big box. I thought, if I could, I could give it to her when no one is looking. That'd mean of course I have to find her first and knowing her I have to look up at the trees.

By twilight, Cato made us assemble in a huddle.

"Ok our plan is this. We move around at night to kill other tributes and sleep a little. Then in the morning after a light breakfast, we hunt for more. We take shifts every night as a watcher. No one eats until everyone is awake. Drink from your own bottle and if you finished yours the others aren't allowed to share theirs with yours. Everything I've said applies to all of us. If you have a problem with that we'll kill you next. Marvel you stand guard to our supplies for now" He said to us.

We all nodded gravely and followed Cato. We started trekking uphill, looking for innocent victims to murder. We walked for quite a while before we heard the anthem playing. I looked up and saw the kids that died today. The last one was from District 10. That's good! She's still alive. Not that it was impossible but I was worried. The last time I thought about Katniss was this morning. I can't believe my strategy worked. I thought I'd be one of those faces in the sky by now. I never thought they'd actually be impressed with what I've done. My dream came true. I'm with the Careers, Katniss is safe for now, and she went for a bow and sheath set at the Cornucopia and left before she could get it. I can't believe my dream was slightly accurate. I wonder if I did the right thing by going with the Careers though. I don't trust any of them, no matter how nice they may seem to be.

It started to get colder as we walked uphill. I looked to my right and saw a column of smoke going up to the sky. It's not too far from here. I hope the others didn't see it. Maybe I should steer them away from that area? I mean I know it's not Katniss but I don't really want to see another person die right now. I know it's not Katniss because she isn't stupid enough to light a fire in the middle of the night where everyone can see it. Before I could suggest to go left, I heard Cato's footsteps quicken. He saw it. He saw the smoke. We started running after him trying to catch up. Once we got nearer, I noticed the person who lit the fire must have fallen asleep. We weren't quiet but when the person heard us a second too late. We surrounded her before she could run. Glimmer darted forward but Cato was faster. He picked her up by the back of her neck and took his knife from his belt. He slit a thin line on her neck and plunged the dagger on her chest. Not enough to kill her instantly, just enough to make her die filled with pain. That's probably the last thing she'll ever feel. Pain. I can't bear it. It's too harsh. I looked away after this. I didn't hear anything, almost as if someone placed ear muffs on my head. I saw her lips move but I didn't hear anything. I saw the Careers celebrating but I didn't hear a sound. Marlene poke around her supplies before deciding that there's nothing good. Finally I heard something.

"Better clear out so they can get the body it starts stinking" Cato said. The girls agreed and we start walking away from the dead girl. After a couple of minutes of walking, Cato stopped walking.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" he asked

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately." Glimmer answered

"She's dead. I struck her myself" he said

"Then where's the cannon?" Marlene asked

"Someone should go back. Make sure the job is done." Clove said

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice" Glimmer said

"I said she's dead" Cato insisted

They'd probably go on and on so instead of listening to this I butted in.

"We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on" I said to them. Without waiting for an answer, I walked back to the poor girl. She looks so pale and fragile that I wanted to kill myself for allowing them to kill her while I stood by and played mute. I don't want to kill myself. I need to live until I have fulfilled my purpose in life. Protecting Katniss. Once I know that she's safe and a victor, I'll be able to rest in peace. I need to protect her but I'm getting off the subject. I took the girl's hand and whispered a blessing we give to the dying in District 12. She smiled and closed her eyes. All of a sudden the hand I was holding became limp, that's when I knew the girl went to sleep. Sleep of the peaceful. The longest sleep. The sleep of death. I walked back to the Careers so that they'll be able to get her body and bring her back to her parents and other family members. I didn't look back even when I heard the hover craft. She's safe now. Good and Safe.


	12. Chapter 12

I'd like to thank Fight Scenes 101(.) for teaching me a lot:D I hope that I learned enough to make the fight scenes better than last chapter's. I'll keep on studying about fight scenes so that I'll be able to give you guys (my beloved readers) what you deserve. Which is the best! Since you guys support me all the time:D and also for those who want to read this again once I'm done with the whole book, I promise to edit all my grammatical errors, typos and such mistakes. I'm sorry again for updating late again I got distracted by 3 seasons worth of Gossip Girl dvds:D sorry again! And I promise I won't slack off. I need to finish the Hunger Games (my version) before the end of June because school starts in the middle of June and I really have to focus on my studies:D I'm a senior after all :D ****Disclaimer: there are no fight scenes in this chapter I promise I'll make it up to you guys in the next chapter:D

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><p>I walked by the Careers side again and said<p>

"She's dead now"

"We know. We heard the cannon a few minutes ago" Glimmer said. I didn't even hear the cannon. There must be something wrong with me. I guess it's hard for me to watch someone die before my eyes and not feel guilty about it. I feel wrecked. I think I looked wrecked. And I guess it doesn't help that I've been on the move none stop since dawn.

I looked at everyone and saw that I'm not the only one who feels and looks wrecked. I looked at Cato and saw him frown. I hope he noticed what I noticed. Maybe I should suggest of a break or call it a day or something. If only there was a clock in the arena. It would be easier to convince him if we had a time reference. But before I could suggest anything, Cato gave us an order.

"Let's go back to the Cornucopia. We need all the rest we could get. We'll be hunting victims all day tomorrow."

We all agreed and started trekking back to the Cornucopia. I'm surprised we didn't get lost. If it was me leading everyone I'd probably get lost. Although my memory is good, I have a terrible sense of direction. And I don't have good instincts. Thank God I'm not the leader of the Careers.

Once we were back at the Cornucopia, we searched around looking for sleeping bags. We got our sleeping bags and made ourselves comfortable on the ground. Cato is taking first watch since he said he wasn't tired. After a few hours I noticed I wasn't asleep. I know dense right? I looked at Cato and saw that he fell asleep. I got up from my sleeping bag and shook Cato awake. Almost immediately a knife was at my throat. That was freaky!

"Cato it's me, Peeta" I told him gently. I'm relieved that he removed the knife from my throat but I wasn't happy when he just lowered it. He's still suspicious of me I guess. I backed away for a few spaces and tried again.

"Cato, you're tired. I'll take the next watch. I'll wake up Glimmer or something when I'm sleepy." I told him. He must be fully awake now since he nodded, thanked me(yes I'm surprised too. I didn't peg Cato as a well-mannered person. Maybe he's still asleep?) and slept on my sleeping bag. I sat on the ground and wrapped Cato's blanket around my shoulders. It's extremely cold right now. Even though there is no wind, the temperature at the arena was like a refrigerator. Portia was right about the coldness.

I poked the ground since I didn't have anything to do. I came across a black rock that's like charcoal. Suddenly the urge to draw something became overpowering. I stood up and picked a smooth leaf from the branch above me. It's about as large as a baking sheet at home. It's perfect. I picked a corner and started drawing. My mind became blank and I'll be lost in the moment. All I can feel is my hand moving on its own. Not really knowing what it's drawing but I'm sure it'll be something that's at the back of my mind. After a few minutes I stopped drawing. I looked at the drawing and couldn't distinguish what I drew. It seems like a person being lifted to the sky. I looked more closely and saw it was Katniss. When she was twirling around during her interview. I know it's not noticeable for the people of Panem but it's still kind of embarrassing. I miss our time together. The last time I saw her was the start of the Games. I can't believe it's been a day. I wonder what's happening to her. She's probably asleep something up a tree like how I imagined. I miss her. I miss how she scowls at everything. I miss her smile. She rarely smiles at me but I see it when she smiles at Cinna. I know I shouldn't be jealous of Cinna but I can't help it. Almost everyone is in good terms with her except me. I know only one person she'll pick me over. And that's Haymitch! It's not exactly reassuring. Without me noticing, I crumpled and tore apart the leaf that I drew Katniss on. I leaned my head at the trunk of the tree behind me and watched for a while.

I must have dozed off since when I opened my eyes, Marlene is telling me breakfast is ready. I rubbed my eyes before getting up. Once I stood up Clove turned to my direction and started giggling. Marlene looked at her weirdly before handing me my breakfast. Soft boiled eggs and bread with apple juice. Yum! One of the few benefits of being with the Careers is that our food is always edible. Anyway…Marlene looked at my face and burst out laughing. Glimmer and Marvel looked at us and started laughing. What's so funny? Does my face show so much appreciation for my breakfast? Cato must be in bad mood because when he heard the others laughing he threw down his knife and turned around. He saw my face and smirked.

"Nice face lover boy. Think that'll work as camouflage?" he asked while smirking.

I raised my eyebrow at them. What's camouflage? What about my face? I walked to the river and looked at my reflection. There's a big hand print on my cheek and black lines all over my eyes. I looked at my hand and saw that it's turned black. Like burnt bread. I tried to remember how I got it this dirty. Then I spotted a leaf and I remembered the drawing. I started chuckling before laughing like a maniac. Of course! After I crumpled and tore apart the leaf all the black stuff I used to draw went to my hand. I sleep with a hand under my cheek that's why I have a hand print on my cheek and the black lines came from when I rubbed my eyes! I turned around and saw the others are laughing at me. I washed my face and hands before going back to their area.

They look happier now. At least I made them happy. At my expense sure but at least they're less creepy now. We ate breakfast and the guys and I left so that the girls can take a bath. We went the other way, looking for game like rabbits or something. As much as we like eggs, we'll get tired of it soon so we started hunting for game. I set a trap I learned from the training center while the guys used their weapons. Once we have enough game, we started trekking back to our place. A few meters away from our place, Cato turned around and pressed his finger on his lips. He leaned to Marvel's side and whispered to his ear. I'm getting really curious to what Cato is thinking right now. Marvel smirked and leaned to my side.

"Cato said let's spy on the girls. We're not sure if they're done bathing so we might as well see some action before we start killing people. We are guys after all. We might as well use this advantage while we can" Marvel whispered. I was kind of shocked. I didn't think Cato and Marvel were pervs. I mean come on! I thought they were just power hungry murderers. I kept my face expressionless and nodded.

We crouched down and started crawling towards the lake. When we were a few feet away from the lake, Cato suddenly looked at the right. I looked at the right too. Was the girls on that side? I looked a little bit closer and saw it was a guy. Glasses and scrawny. He looks like those stereotypical geek or nerd. Minus the props. Cato stood up and Marvel and i stood up a few seconds after. The guy must have heard us since he looked up and gulped. I guess we look pretty threatening. I mean 3 big guys looking down on you with murderous expressions. I don't know why the guys are wearing murderous expressions but I'm angry because the guys aren't thinking about how the girls would feel if they saw the guys spying on them. I planned on not looking when Marvel and Cato are going to spy but I lost it when I saw that other guys are planning on doing the same to the girls. Won't they care if the girls feel violated afterwards? If they did the same thing to Katniss I might kill them all in 5 minutes. I felt my face harden after that thought.

The girls must have seen us since they started to scream. After a few seconds and a deaf ear later, the screams started to fade. They must have noticed we're not looking at them and staring threateningly at something on the ground. I hear the girls quickly dressing up before hurrying to our side. The girls looked down at the guy with disgusted expressions. The guy must have noticed since he gulped again.

"What's that scum doing here?" Glimmer asked disgustedly

"We saw him watching you guys taking a bath. I don't want to hear an explanation. Do you guys do?" Cato said

"How do we kill him?" Marvel asked. That's when I came into my senses. This guy could be innocent! I can't believe I forgot to think first before jumping into conclusions.

"I don't know but we'll make sure it's long and painful" Clove said. The other's started advancing towards him. Cato bent down and picked up the guy by his shirt.

"Wait stop!" I said. They looked at me with irritated expression before listening to me. I need to help the guy but I have to insult him in the process. I hope he won't notice that part if they don't kill him.

"He could be innocent. I mean look at him. He looks like a total geek. I highly doubt he can think of guy things to do before remembering he has to play chess with his non-existent friends" I said. The faces of the others softened but Cato's face is still the same

"What are you suggesting lover boy?" Cato asked calmly.

"We should listen to his explanation and see if he's any use. The second he starts to imply he's useless then we'll kill him" I said

Cato considered this before letting the guy down. The guy couldn't believe his luck but he still looks like he's going to wet his pants in 2 seconds.

"Well? Start talking!" Cato ordered. The guy gulped again before he started talking.

"I'm from District 3. I came to offer my services to you in exchange for my life. My parents taught me how to activate landmines so I thought I could activate the landmines near your area we could put all the stuff from the Cornucopia in the middle and there won't be a need to leave a guard. One wrong move near the supplies they'll be blown up into bits." He said in a rush

"What makes you so sure there are landmines here?" Cato asked

"I saw them. I can't really explain how I'll activate them but it'll be easy" he said confidently

"How will we able to get our supplies if you activate the landmines?" Cato asked

"I'll only activate them when we leave. I'll de-activate then when we're present" he said

"We'll let you in but if you do one wrong move we'll kill you instantly" Cato said. He turned around and left. The others followed him but I stayed behind to talk to the guy.

"Hi I'm Peeta. The guy you just talked to is Cato. The girl with the short brown hair is Clove. The girl with the long blond hair is Glimmer. The girl with the big eyes and pouted lips is Marlene and lastly the guy is Marvel. So what's your name?" I told him

"I'm Segway." Segway answered.

"Come on Segway you have a lot to do." I told him and motioned him to follow me. We went to the others and then Cato started to talk.

"The girls will be gathering snacks for our knapsacks while we, guys , take baths. I don't really care if the girls saw me not wearing clothes. Do you guys have problems with that?" he asked us. I don't really have a problem with nudity but it'll be awkward with every single person in Panem watching. I tried not to weird about it so I shook my head along with the others. The girls walked to the Cornucopia and us guys started stripping off our clothes. We of course left our underwear on, except Cato. I heard giggles from behind so I guess Cato wasn't joking when he said he didn't care who saw him without clothes. We started bathing at the lake.

Man the relief of the cool water on our hot bodies was amazing. Like taking a bath with icy water. We didn't talk so we bathed in silence. Every now and then we hear the girls giggle but other than that it's totally silent. Once we were finished we taking a bath, we dressed up and walked to the impatient girls that we're waiting for us. They've made lunch with the fresh game we've hunted this morning. For some weird reason I'm really hungry. We ate the roasted rosemary rabbit the girls cooked and drank some water. We took naps because we have to hunt at night. Within seconds I was dreaming.

_It was recess time and I was playing tag with some of the boys from class .I looked around and saw that we're only 6 year olds. We were playing a ball kicking game. Someone kicked the ball too far and It was my turn to get the ball. The ball rolled towards the bushes. I crouched down and picked up the ball. I heard someone singing not far from the bush I was at._

_Try to see through my eyes_

_All you can see are black and white_

_Everything seems bland and boring_

_Why is that? _

_I parted the bush a little so I can see the singer. It was a small girl petting a rabbit sitting under a tree. Her back in front of me. _

_The plants look dead_

_The sky looks near _

_The smiles around me seems forced_

_Why is that?_

_It suddenly became quiet and I looked up. The birds that were resting on the tree had fallen silent_

_Morning, Noon, Night_

_Nothing seem to excite me_

_i can't feel anything_

_Why is that?_

_Then you come into the picture_

_Suddenly color seeps through my vision_

_Bringing life into my eyes_

_Making me feel everything_

_I was amazed by the sweet voice that singing. I didn't know what song means but It sounds nice. Almost like a lullaby._

_The flowers start to bloom_

_the happiness becomes true_

_The bland day turns exciting_

_i wish it was ending_

_The time came when you have to leave_

_All the color fades away_

_Blandness came to play_

_Happiness is far away_

_She paused for a bit and breathed deeply before she starts singing again._

_The plants look dead_

_The sky looks near _

_The smiles around me seems forced_

_Why is that?_

_Why did you leave me?_

_why am i alone in this bland life?_

_why did you trade me for another person?_

_all these questions were never answered_

_She became quiet for a second before continuing _

_you never looked back once you've left_

_all the Whys i want to ask are left unanswered_

_all the colors are gone_

_as if life has been sucked out of my vision_

_Why is that?_

_I waited for a few more minutes waiting for the girl to turn around. Who is this wonderful singer that demanded the birds' attention? She released the rabbit and the rabbit went to the bush I was crouching on. She followed it with her eyes and then I saw who she was. It was that girl Daddy pointed me. The girl that sang the Valley song for the class. The girl I've liked since the first day of school. _

"_Hey Peeta! Where's our ball? Did you find it?" someone called out to me_

_I got up while holding the ball. Smiled at the girl who was sitting alone with her back in front of me. And started to run to my friends. I listened and heard the mockingjays singing the song she just sang. She made birds listen to her and idolize her without doing anything except sing. She's like a mockingjay only she's better._

I woke up and sat up quietly. I was the only one awake. Even Clove, who was on guard, fell asleep. I looked at my hand and few inches from it was a mockingjay. Pure coincidence or what?


	13. Chapter 13

I'm sorry for the late updates and also I forgot to mention that the epic fail of a song in the previous chapter was written by me. I wanted to push through with my idea of little Katniss singing a song so I had to make a pathetic excuse of a song (or poem since there isn't any music). Another thing! The reason I wanted "Segway" to activate and de-activate the landmines is because I wanted the Careers to look extremely formidable and I thought I won't be able to achieve that if the Careers look like they're playing hopscotch. It's just an added plus that it made Foxface look desperate and kind of foolish. I never really liked her that much. I'd also like to apologize for the fail fight scenes in this chapter it's really hard for me. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it after a while! Enjoy reading! Please Review! Creative Criticism and etc:D Thanks for reading!

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><p>After a few minutes, the others woke up. The bird left by then. We all picked up our packs, left Segway to guard our area and left to hunt for some tributes. We walked for a while before I spotted a flash of red. What was that? I peered around the bushes subtly since I could be wrong. I parted the bushes a little bit before I saw the girl from District 5. She's crouched down behind a large tree that's surrounded by bushes. It seems she saw Cato and the others but not me since she's looking at them and not me who can see her. Before I could blink, Cato turned around and saw me behind the girl. It didn't take him a second to know what's in between us. He started running and the others started to follow. It's either the girl was petrified with fear or she wants to commit suicide since she didn't move an inch when Cato started storming to our direction.<p>

Once they were a few yards away they slip up and after a few seconds we've surrounded the girl. She stood up and looked as if she was thinking of a way to make a diversion so that she'll be able to run away from here. I looked at Cato and saw him clasp his sword tightly. I looked at Glimmer and Clove and saw them pull out knives from their pockets. Marvel on the other hand raised his spear threateningly. I didn't move an inch because I don't want to kill or injure anyone anymore. In a split second, the Careers lunged to the girl. Cato tried to behead the girl the same time Glimmer tried to pierce the girl's chest. They bumped and injured each other and got pushed away by Marvel and Clove. Marvel tried to plunge his spear on the girl's eyes but Clove probably thought of the same thing because they collided and bounced off each other. The girl used this opportunity to sneak away but Cato won't allow that. He clenched his fist before chasing after her. Once Glimmer recovered from her blow from Cato, she started running after Cato and the girl. Without even thinking, Marvel and Clove did the same thing. It took me a few seconds before noticing that they left me alone. I know! Stupid right? So I started jogging after them. I reached them a minute too late. It seems i missed the fight and the girl was able to escape.

She's sneakier than i thought. I thought she was sneaky because she was able to hide from the Careers and stealthily move around without rustling a leaf but now she was able to escape from the Careers without even a scratch, by the way the others kept complaining about wanting to maim her. Cato called it a day and we started trekking back to the lake. It didn't even occur to me that it was already this late. The moon is shining our way and the stars are blinking like a million lights. By the time we have reached the lake, I saw Segway become alert and picked up his weapon. I heard Glimmer and Marlene gasp.

Wait Marlene?

Where did she go while the others were hunting that girl from District 5? I didn't see her once since i saw the girl from District 5. In fact i haven't seen her since we started to hunt for other tributes. Weird. I can't believe i didn't even notice someone else was missing. Am i that self-centered that i don't even notice that one of our friends(if you can call your potential killer that) was gone? But enough about me. Why did Glimmer and Marlene gasp when they saw Segway? What's wrong with him? I'm sure they look a lot worse than him. He isn't bloody or injured in any way.

I peeked in between both girls and i wanted to gasp myself. I hid that in a perfectly safe place! How was he able to find it? Can he even use that? That's not meant for him! It's meant for someone else! So why the HELL is holding that silver bow and sheath? I need to make my face expressionless because they'll know i knew about the bow than they'll know what Katniss' secret skill is.

We walked towards him while the girls gaped at the bow. It's nice looking but what's so special about it? For them, i mean. For me it's special because Katniss was meant for it but for them it's supposed to be just another instrument. Marvel seemed to think of the same thing(minus the Katniss part) because he asked them.

"What's up with the bow? It looks plain to me" this of course earned him a collective gasp from all the girls. Why? I looked at the guys and saw that they're as clueless as me. Even Segway who seems to know everything. The girls exchanged a look before Clove told us to sit down. Glimmer and Marlene started making dinner without making a fire. I guess it's beef strips and crackers with dried fruit for dessert again. The guys sat down while Clove started telling us a story. I know, weird.

She started with a look that says if you laugh we'll kill you all.

"Girls all over Panem know this story since none of you guys have sisters you have an excuse not to know the story of the Silver Archer." She explained to us.

"Who's the Silver Archer?" Segway asked.

"I'll be able to answer that if you let me continue" she answered to him in a tone filled with venom." So anyway. The Silver Archer wasn't always a Silver Archer. She was normal person like us"

"So she's like a girl hero or something." Segway interrupted. How can a smart dude like him be so dense? Didn't Clove just imply she's the only one who should be talking?

"Do you have a death wish?" Clove asked him with a voice dripped with sweetness but laced with venom. Segway gulped before shaking his head no. Maybe he finally got the message.

"So anyway, the Silver Archer used to be known as Artemis. Like the old myths from our ancestors. She's extremely petite. Most children from her time are about a head taller than her. Her face was sweet and lovely. Almost doll-like. Her hair is always on 2 separate braids. "

As soon as she said this it reminded me of Katniss. When I first saw Katniss she was smaller than most kids and her hair was in 2 braids. How coincidental!

"The most starling thing about her was not her size but her eyes. Her eyes are silver. Shiny silver. In our time, having silver eyes are common but during their time it was uncommon. Almost unheard of. And also her eyes are real silver not cosmetically enhanced silver like that girl from 12."

I did my best to control my emotions by this time. How can she call Katniss' eyes cosmetically enhanced? Her eyes are REAL SILVER. PURE SILVER even. Emotions aside, I'm a bit bothered by the coincidence of the Silver Archer to Katniss. Why are they alike? Why am I bothered?

"Growing up, she was a social introvert. During breaks she would sit under a shade and sing softly to herself. Sometimes petting animals that are drawn to her. Her parents picked up her name out of instinct and as she grew up, they noticed how perfect the name was. When Artemis started her secondary education they were required to pick a sport to study on. All her classmates picked the team sport and only a handful picked the individual sports. Artemis saw that archery was the only one without a student so she picked that since she's still a social introvert and wants to be alone. It turns out Artemis was excellent when it comes to archery. She can hit every target even though she's 2 miles away from it. She's still small so it makes it more impressive. Her teachers started calling her Lady Artemis or Artemis, Goddess of the hunt behind her back. You see, in the myths from the olden times, Artemis was the goddess of hunt. She protects or replenishes the forests and jungles. When she hunts an animal, she just snaps her fingers and another animal will replace the one she killed. The resemblance of the 2 Artemis' are almost uncanny. As if Artemis a.k.a. The Silver Archer is the Goddess of the Hunt personified."

"By the time she was in higher education she still has no friends. Her only company was canary. She was the smallest in her class. Probably no more than 5 and a half feet while her classmates were at least 6 feet. No one has ever heard her voice except her teachers and the few people who accidentally heard her sing."

Like me to Katniss. I'm one of the few people who heard her sing.

"Although a lot of guys pursued her because her loveliness and her skill in archery, she didn't pay attention to them. She looks pass them as if they weren't there. After a few years of ignoring men, some of guys started to be bitter. They would spread rumors of Artemis and bully her but she wouldn't show any emotion. She'd look past them as if they weren't there and not speak. They'd call her witch, robot and other horrible names but she won't react. Once they've graduated, almost everyone forgot about her. Except one person"

Great the love part of the story. Predictable, since the girls like it. How come everyone has a love life besides me? Even a social introvert has one! How come I don't have one? Except maybe unrequited love life. Wow I guess even the Games can't make me forget my rejection. I should stop feeling bitter. I knew that rejection was the outcome but I still couldn't help but wish that there's a positive outcome. Sadly, that's just my overactive imagination thinking.

"His name is Kyle. He's a normal person. He has only a handful redeeming qualities. He's completely average. He liked Artemis since her saw her practicing archery but he never tried to talk her. Every time he tries he loses his courage before he makes a step towards her."

Seems familiar….poor dude… I know how you feel.

"A couple of years after graduation, Kyle went to the woods and saw a rabbit that was caught on a snare. He helped the rabbit out of the snare and tended to its wound. Nothing bad just a small cut. He set it free but it doesn't seem to want to leave. He stayed with it for a while before it finally hopped to another place. Kyle became curious to what attracted to the rabbit since it didn't want to leave a few seconds ago. He followed the rabbit and saw a small girl pick the rabbit up.

"What happened to you?" the girl asked the rabbit with a soft musical voice.

Kyle inched closer to the girl but she didn't seem to notice him. He still can't see her face since her back was in front of him. The only thing he can see is a silver bow and sheath filled with silver arrows.

"You don't seem badly hurt. It seems someone has tended to you other than me. How odd normally when other people see something like you they'll stop at nothing to hunt you" she observed

She turned to the right and Kyle was able to her profile. He gasped and stared at her as if he wants to pull her to his eyes.

"It's her. It's Artemis. It's been a while since I last saw her. She's more beautiful than before. Her dark chestnut hair became auburn. Her skin is paler making her eyes more silver. She's breathtaking." He thought. Before she could see him, he left the forest quietly."

This story is really interesting but I feel like a kid that's being told of a bedtime story. It didn't help that the moon is out and I'm feeling a bit drowsy. I'm surprised Cato hasn't complained yet. Normally he doesn't have the patient for this type of thing.

"Everyday Kyle would visit the rabbit and leave as soon as he had a glimpse of Artemis. He always uses the rabbit leaving as a sign that Artemis is here. One day the rabbit didn't leave Kyle even though he knew that Artemis was there. He thought Artemis would like a new friend and to him Kyle seemed pretty nice. Artemis went looking for the rabbit until she saw him with Kyle. She approached them timidly.

"Excuse me" she said. Kyle couldn't believe that Artemis actually approached him but then he remembered the rabbit that was on his lap.

"She's here for the rabbit not me" he thought sadly. Her voice has a musical tone to it even though she wasn't singing. It sounded better than before.

"I'm sorry. Is he yours? I saw him trapped on a snare, one time, and ever since then I visit him everyday. He usually leaves as soon as he senses someone else is here to visit him. I hope you don't mind that I visit him" he said to her

"I don't mind. You're the one who tended to him a few weeks ago. Thank you for that" she said to him. She picked up the rabbit from his lap and walked away.

"She still doesn't want any friends" he thought. Without thinking about what he's about to do, he stood up and ran to Artemis.

"Wait up!" he called up to her. She looked around before she stopped and waited for him.

"I'm Kyle and I forgot to ask what your name was" he told her.

"I already know your name but I don't want to sound creepy so I'll ask. It's more polite that way" he thought

"I am Artemis. If you'll excuse me, I must leave now" she said to him in a soft voice

"Why?" he asked

"Because my parents told me to not to speak to strangers" she said simply. Without waiting for an answer she left him and he stood there watching her walk away."

Clove is really good at this. This story is starting to sound cliché but she makes it sound interesting.

"It took time but after a while, Artemis started to talk to Kyle and they became close friends. When Kyle couldn't take it anymore he finally asked her what he has wanted to ask her for a long time.

"Why are you always in the forest?" he asked. Artemis thought for a while before replying

"I go here because of the peace and quiet. I am able to think peacefully and sometimes practice archery without worrying about hurting somebody." She answered softly

"Where do you practice archery?" he asked

"I'll show you" she said. She stood up and motioned him to follow her. They walked for a while before Artemis crouched down and started crawling underground. The hole is extremely big. A small bear could fall into it. Kyle followed her until they stopped at a large room. It looked like those rabbit houses in the picture books, children read. It's probably as big as 4 houses put together. At the end of the room there are multiple targets. Some are apples. Some are strawberries. Some are big cotton filled circles.

"Why do you use fruits and cotton when you're in a forest filled with wild animals?" he asked her. She put the rabbit down before looking at him in the eye while answering

"Because I don't believe in harming animal for sport. It don't think it's fair for us to endanger their lives for our pleasure."

"Then you don't eat meat? Since eating is meat is pleasurable and it endangers animals." He said to her

"No I don't. Whenever I have food I share it with him" she said while pointing to the rabbit"

Before Clove could continue her story, the seal of the Capitol appeared and the anthem started playing. There was only one face on the sky. The girl from District 8. She's the one that the Careers killed this morning. I hope her body made it hope safely. Even though I didn't kill her I still feel guilty about letting her die. Yes, feel, since I can't get over it. The anthem finishes playing and Marlene calls us for dinner. It took them that long to find beef strips? Oh well. After a few minutes of silence, Cato finally decided it's time to sleep. Marlene took the first watch and the rest of us lay down on our sleeping bags and fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14ISH

Hey guys!

I'm sorry I haven't been updating regularly :( Senior year isn't agreeing with me yet so it might take a while before I can update again. I'M EXTREMELY SORRY! I promise I'll update as soon as I can! I'm more than half way done with chap 14 and I'm already conceptualizing chap 15. I swear i'll try my hardest to make the fight scenes sound better just give me time. Someday, hopefully, I'll get it right :D

Please review and give me pointers, creative criticism, comments and the works. I'd really want to give my readers what they want(assuming it's an awesome idea) but If I wasn't able to use the idea you suggested in advance I apologize.

Thanks for supporting me! I love you guys :D

XOXO

peeta-mellark-is-mine


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